


Fraxus Week 2018

by Eryis



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Canon, Emotional Talks, First Kiss, Fraxus Week, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One Shot Collection, Romance, Shipping Event, fraxus, headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-10 11:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15290085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eryis/pseuds/Eryis
Summary: My admissions for Fraxus Week 2018. I hope you all enjoy them and that they cater to your Fraxus needs, and hopefully I should have something done for every prompt.This years prompts are:Day 1 - First Kiss/Mutual PiningDay 2 - Power Couple/CompetitiveDay 3 - MakarovDay 4 - Taking Care of Each OtherDay 5 - Sorcerer WeeklyDay 6 - Gods & Mythical CreaturesDay 7 - Post War





	1. The Heart Grows Fonder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After months without so much of a conversation, Freed gets a letter from the exiled Laxus asking for a meeting. During their reunion, they will both come to the conclusion that distance makes the heart grow fonder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome everyone to my admissions to Fraxus Week 2018. Hopefully I can get something done for all of these, I'm pretty sure I should be able to but you never know what'll happen. This is for the first prompt First Kiss and I really enjoyed writing it. It also has some mentions of a little headcanon I have about what Laxus did during his exile that might be familiar for some of the readers of my other things.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much.   
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

****

**~~~~~**

**The Heart Grows Fonder**

Freed glanced down at the small piece of paper in his hand, turning his body so that it was protected from the heavy downpour of rain. He made sure that the address on the small note was the same as the building before him, pushing open the rusted and creaking gate and walking into a garden that had become overgrown and infested with plants. Though the rune mage hadn't had many pre-conceptions of what the place would look like, this certainly wasn't it.

Before him stood a shell of a building. The paint covering the walls was peeling and flaking, half the visible windows had been boarded up with now rotting planks of wood, and the decking of the porch was starting to crumble away. Despite this, Freed continued on.

He pushed open the front door, which had clearly lost the ability the lock or even close properly years ago. When he walked inside, he was met with what could have once been a glamorous looking hallway but had fallen into disrepair. Against the left most wall was an old staircase that seemed as if it would collapse if he tried to climb it, to the right was an archway where a door would have been before having been taken out. The wooden floor had a large hole in the middle, most likely where someone had stood on it and the old material had given way under the person's bodyweight. The mage considered calling out his wings for safety but classed it as a waste of his magic energy and instead focused on carefully making his way towards the archway.

In the next room, he saw a small improvement. The floors and wall were still lacking in quality, and the ceiling was dripping in the left most corner with rain water. However, a metal bucket had been placed under the leak, a white tarp covered most of floor and the rubble that populated the hallway was nowhere to be seen. But that didn't interest the rune mage, he was more interested on the hulking blonde man sitting on a stool with his back to Freed.

"Hey." Freed said softly, the blonde man's shoulders jumping and his head turning around instantly.

Looking at Laxus, Freed had to pause. The last time the two men had seen each other was the day of Laxus' exile. After a short conversation in which Laxus insisted the Raijinshuu shouldn't be punished for his choices, the blonde had left the town without so much as a word to his team. For months, there had been no communication between them both, until Freed had received a letter from Laxus asking if he would be willing to organise a meeting.

Freed immediately concluded that Laxus looked like a different man. The sneer that had painted his features in the months leading to his exile was replaced with an expression more humble and remorseful. His body language no longer projected superiority, instead it was hunched and nervous. Even his eyes no longer hid what he was thinking, instead they were like open books.

"Hi." Laxus said, standing up. "You came."

Although he opened his mouth to speak, Freed could only watch as Laxus quickly closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around the rune mage. It took the Freed a second to adjust to the tight, almost desperate embrace, but he soon reciprocated the hug.

The two men silently stayed in their embrace for a short while. Freed had been shocked by the sudden gesture, unused to Laxus doing something so obviously intimate; he certainly wouldn't have done anything close to that in the months before his exile. When Freed glanced to look at Laxus' face and saw he had his eyes clenched shut, perhaps even to hold back tears, Freed concluded that Laxus defiantly wasn't the same man he had been before.

Laxus burrowed his face in the crook of Freed's neck, showing no signs of letting his ex-guildmate go. The last time he had seen anyone who he considered a friend had been on the day of his exile and he was scared that, the moment he let go of Freed, he wouldn't be there. Freed must have sensed this, as he gently rubbed his back.

"Thank you." Laxus croaked, voice quivering slightly. "I know you didn't have to come here and-"

"It's fine." Freed spoke calmly, pulling back slightly with a soft expression on his face. "And I'm glad to see you, I've missed you."

The statement had more meaning than what was presented. It was true that he had missed seeing and talking to the blonde in person, but he had also missed the man he hoped was the true Laxus. Seeing the other mange become cruel, arrogant and perhaps even unstable had been hard, for Freed knew that his friend wasn't really like that. It seemed that the Laxus clinging tightly to him had rejected the cruelty and allowed himself to be the more vulnerable, emotional man Freed knew he really was.

"I missed you too." Laxus whispered, finally pulling away.

When he could see his face again, Freed noticed that a tear was slowly sliding down the blonde's cheek. The rune mage slowly brought his finger up and wiped it away, Laxus not moving but having the smallest of smiles on his face. Freed replied with an equally subtle smile.

"I'm glad to see that you're safe." Freed continued. "Can I ask why you wanted to meet here? You don't live here, do you?"

"Erm, no." Laxus said, wiping his face and getting a slightly better control of his voice. "I mean, I live in Hargeon. Not in the house, though. Some crappy inn near the coast lets me stay in a room full time for a discount if I help the owner's son haul fish at the docks in the mornings."

"It's good that you've got that, at least." Freed smiled. "So, why the abandoned house?"

"I own it. I wanna clean it up and move in, eventually." Laxus sighed, seeing Freed open his mouth to ask questions. "I'll explain, but can we sit down first?"

Freed nodded and they walked towards where Laxus had previously been sitting. Beside the stool, a wooden chair was facing a heating lacrima in the middle of the room. Freed noticed a large flask and an empty bowl, stained with tomato soup on the side, and hoped Laxus was telling the truth about him not living there. Laxus motioned for Freed to sit at the chair, which looked considerably more comfortable that the splintering and uneven stool that Laxus would be sitting at. Freed took the chair without a word.

Laxus picked up the flask and poured out a large mug of coffee, offering it to Freed who took it and cupped it in his hands. The heating lacrima slightly combatted the effects of the cold rain, but the boarded-up window was still letting in a harsh draft that gave the room a minor chill.

As the blonde poured himself a cup of the steaming beverage, Freed noticed that there was sleeping bag rolled up in the corner on an unstable looking camp bed. The rune mage frowned a little at that, not seeing any reason for Laxus to lie about his inn situation with that much detail, but it was obvious he had prepared the means to sleep in the house. He hoped that it at least didn't happen often, the house wasn't an appropriate environment for sleeping.

"Sometimes when I'm working time gets away from me. Better to sleep here than go back to the inn, it's a couple miles away." Laxus explained, sitting on the stool. "Only reason they're here tonight it because I didn't wanna risk leaving before you came."

"Okay." Freed nodded. "Make sure you don't sleep here too often, though."

"Sure."

The room fell into silence, other than the dripping water hitting the metal bucket in the far corner. A gust of wind whistled through the house as Freed gently sipped at the coffee Laxus had made; the blonde hadn't put sugar in it despite usually having at least two teaspoons per cup, meaning he had purposefully gone against his own tastes so that Freed, who never had sugared coffee, would enjoy the drink more.

Despite the silence between the two, Freed made no effort to speak. The blonde had called him here, obviously having something he wanted to say. The rune mage didn't want to rush his friend, so would wait until Laxus could gather his thoughts and begin when he was comfortable. That took less time than he had expected.

"I'm so fucking sorry." Laxus said suddenly, taking Freed by surprise. "All the shit that I did, how I treated all of you and abused your trust in me, I was just being a massive fucking dick. I don't know why I was acting like that, but I ain't gonna make any excuses about it. Everything I did was just… horrible. I treated people like crap, like they didn't matter unless they thought exactly like I did. I made you fight people you cared about for fucks sake. I…"

Laxus trailed off, looking at his lap. From the corner of his eye he could see Freed's arm reach over and gently rest his hand on his thigh. Laxus grasped his friend's hand and squeezed it, thankful for the comforting gesture. Freed sat patiently, waiting for Laxus to continue.

"Everything I did to you was sick. I was just being cruel, and I made you do things you shouldn't have." Laxus let out a shaky breath. "And, even though I don't think I should get it, I wanna earn your forgiveness. And, I think to do that, I really need some time alone to think about who I am, 'cause I don't wanna be the guy who pulls crap like that anymore. I don't wanna make you deal with that guy, and I don't wanna look into the mirror and see that guy anymore. I wanna make myself the guy you, everyone, deserves."

"That's…" Freed said slowly. "That's good. I think that's what's best for you right now."

"So do I. Even if it means I have to, I don't know, keep to myself, I think it's for the best." He sighed, Freed nodding. "Kinda why I got this house, I guess. Right now, it's a load of crap, but I'm gonna make it better."

"For what it's worth." Freed smiled again. "I think, given the time and attention needed, it has the potential to be so much better than anyone would ever think."

Laxus was silent for a few moments. "Me too."

Again they fell into silence, Freed slowly sipping at his coffee as he looked towards Laxus. The other man was still holding his hand, but his posture seemed a little more relaxed. Freed wondered what Laxus had expected, maybe he thought Freed would be angry at him or felt betrayed in some way. Maybe he had, at one point, but that had passed. At that moment, he saw Laxus as a man who knew he had done wrong in his life and wanted to make up for it; he would be cruel and bitter to not at least show him support.

In the silence between them both, Freed managed to hear what sounded like the crashing of waves. He stood up and walked to one of the windows that had managed to remain intact, noticing that Laxus was watching him. He didn't say anything, instead looked out of the window in surprise. The front of the property had hidden it well, but the house stood on a cliff and gave an unhindered view of the ocean, which was at high tide and filled with manic looking waves because of the rainstorm. The rune mage smiled a little, knowing of Laxus' fondness for coastal storms. He wondered if the view had pushed him to buying the house.

"Nice, isn't it?" Laxus grumbled, walking across the room with the floor creaking underfoot.

"Spectacular, certainly fitting for you." Freed agreed, looking back towards Laxus. "If you plan to move here once it's suitable, does that mean you have no intention of coming back to Fairy Tail, in time of course?"

"You think Gramps' is gonna want me back after what I did?"

"Yes." Freed said, slightly shocked by the face Laxus thought anything different. "If you are as repentant as you suggest, then of course he will. He welcomed Gajeel and Juvia in and, even though they have proven they are worth much more than their past, they did belong to a guild that were our enemies. I'm sure he knows your intentions were, at the core, in the best interest of Fairy Tail, even if the way you went about it was…"

"Say it." Laxus insisted gently. "Please, I don't wanna be let of for anything. And I defiantly don't wanna stop you from speaking your mind."

"It was cruel." Freed spoke slightly quietly. "As was I, but Makarov still let me and the Raijinshuu remain in the guild. Even if it takes some time, and even if it's not in the same way it was before, you will be welcomed back into the guild eventually. I'm sure."

Laxus didn't reply, instead he sighed and stepped back slightly and leaning against the wall. Freed could see by the look on his face that his potential return to Fairy Tail might have been a subject that was still sensitive to the man. The rune-mage didn't say anything, however, and allowed him to think through his reply. He knew that was what he would have wanted from Laxus if the situations were turned, so expected that would be the best thing for Laxus.

Gently patting his friend's shoulder, Freed slowly turned back to the crashing ocean. He wondered if the sea was a reflection of what was happening in his mind: a storm. The blonde had shown a lot of anger at himself, as well as a lot of guilt and regret for what had happened. Despite there perhaps being justification for Laxus feeling like that, Freed wasn't enjoying it.

Taking the mans bicep in his hand, Freed slowly walked him towards the small seating area Laxus had made. The heat coming from the lacrima was a gentle improvement as Freed motioned for Laxus to take the seat, immediately sitting on the stool as to stop any arguments. Laxus did as he was told.

"I know you want me to be honest, so I will." Freed began, looking directly into Laxus' eyes. "What happened was wrong, cruel and vindictive. Running the guild in the way you suggested would have taken away the very essence of Fairy Tail, and for doing what you did many people now dislike you. But, the Raijinshuu were just as much to blame and, although it took some time to get to this place, we have been forgiven for what happened and are now judged on what good we can do for the guild, rather than the bad we now cannot change. Just like with us, it will take time for the bitterness between the guild and you to dissipate, but it will happen. You're working towards forgiveness and you will get it."

"Thanks." Laxus muttered after a few seconds of silence. "But it ain't just them I wronged, is it? The three of you, I dragged you all down with me and made you betray people you care about. I was selfish and made you get involved with my own issues."

"If we were so against what was planned, we would have stopped-"

"But you wouldn't have needed to stop anything if it wasn't for me." Laxus groaned. "Look, I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, I really do, but I caused all of this. And if the three of you were exiled as well… I would have taken the closest thing to a home you had from you, I couldn't have dealt with that and I shouldn't have put you in a position where it could have happened."

Freed didn't say anything. Not only was it obvious that Laxus was intending to take full responsibility of what happened, and no amount of convincing would change that, but what Laxus had said was true. Although Freed knew he could have handled himself if he'd been exiled, he wouldn't forgive himself if Bickslow and Evergreen had lost their home. He suspected that Laxus was feeling the same sense of regret at what could have happened that Freed was, so it would be hypocritical of him to say that Laxus didn't need to feel that way.

The sound of the wind making a window-shutter bang against the exterior wall mixed with the gentle tapping of droplets of water hitting the bottom of the metal bottle filled the room, a layer of tension blanketing them both. There wasn't much to be said in this situation. They just needed to accept that it was what it was.

As Freed sipped at the coffee, that was slightly cooler now, he noticed Laxus shuffle slightly. He picked up the chair he was sitting on and moved it so he was right in front of Freed, looking directly at him. Knowing the blonde wanted to continue their conversation – and his expression suggested that he had something serious to say – he placed the mug of coffee down. He was shocked slightly when Laxus cupped both of his hands in his own.

"I haven't apologised to you." Laxus said calmly, speaking for interrupting. "I said I was sorry about what happened, but not what I did to you. You put trust in me and cared for me more than I fucking deserved. I abused that and made you go along with what I wanted. I know you'll say you chose to, but I never even asked what you thought about it. That's just as bad as you only doing it out of obligation."

"Laxus, you really don't need to apologise to-"

"Yes I do." The blonde spoke with rigidness in his voice. "And it wasn't just that I made you do something you never would've done without me. I hurt you too. Fuck's sake, that last day I nearly electrocuted you, you could've died, and I didn't care. And since I left, I realised how much I miss you. That I need you in my life and that I wanna see you every fucking day. I wanna be the person who's always there for you, that you can depend on. I wanna be someone you'll wanna be with as much as I wanna be with you."

Freed could see that tears were starting to flow down Laxus' face as he spoke. The rune mage didn't say anything however, Laxus clearly not wanting to stop.

"I ain't had feelings like this for anyone before, Freed, and I ain't really sure what they are. But I know I wanna be able to hold onto you, to make you happy, to be there for you. I know I don't deserve to even think about you like that, and that it'll probably never happen. But the least I can do is make what I did right and make myself the kinda guy you deserve, even if you never look at me in that way."

Looking at the man in shock, Freed had to take a few moments to process what had been said. The rune mage had anticipated that Laxus would start become more upfront with his emotions given time, but the sudden outpour of feelings hadn't been what he expected. And he certainly hadn't expected Laxus to say what, when summarised, equated to the fact Laxus had some kind of feelings for him.

It was obvious that Laxus felt vulnerable, perhaps he was regretting admitting his feelings to Freed. Freed gently shifted so that he was cupping Laxus' hands instead of Laxus holding him. He gently began to stroke the other man's hands, Laxus slowly looking up to him.

"You want me to be honest with you, don't you?" Freed asked, Laxus nodding hesitantly. "You need time. What you said, I don't doubt you were telling the truth. But I think that it's clear to us both that you're somewhat of a mess right now. I think you need time to yourself, so you can discover who you are, so you can drop the façade I think you've had for far too long. Part of that self-discovery may be about what your feelings are for me, but I think you should take great care in making sure you know who you are yourself before you try and get intimate with someone else. For both yourself and for whoever you end up with romantically, including me."

Laxus nodded, knowing that Freed's advice was what needed to happen. He wasn't ready for a relationship yet, it would be wrong for him to bring another person into the mess that was his life. He went to pull his hands away from Freed's, but the rune mage wouldn't let him. Laxus looked up with a small amount of confusion, seeing Freed had leant forward slightly.

"But I want you to know this." Freed spoke in almost a whisper. "You're a good person, everything you've said today proves it. You've already shown yourself to be caring, kind and genuine. I think the time you spend reflecting will only make you better. And the man you reveal yourself to be at the end of this, if he is who I think he will be, is a man I would be happy to love."

As Freed had spoken, the two men had subconsciously started to lean closer. Their eyes had never broken contact and slowly, affection had snuck onto both men's face. When Freed had stopped speaking, their faces were so close their foreheads nearly touched, and they could feel the other's breath tickling their faces.

Despite himself, Freed closed the gap and took his friend into their first kiss.

It was slow and tentative. Freed could feel how chapped Laxus' lips were against his own as both men closed their eyes. As their lips began to move with caution, Freed carefully placed his hand on the other man's jaw and tilted his head down. Laxus seemed to flinch at that, not expecting the cold hand on his face, but quickly pushed himself a little further forward. They leant into each other, Laxus gently resting his hand on Freed's legs as the rune mage cupped his cheeks fully and their kiss became just a little more caring and passionate.

They pulled away before it even bordered on becoming heated. They rested with their foreheads together softly, both slightly breathless as they looked at each other, sporting the smallest of smiles.

Although feeling that he shouldn't have done that, as it might have caused unneeded confusion in his friend, Freed was glad the kiss had happened. The fact he had made Laxus smile was a good thing, and the tenderness of the kiss had told Freed everything he needed to know about Laxus and left him with no doubts. Laxus was going to stop denying who he was to himself and be all the better for it.

"You were right, we can't be like this now." Laxus whispered. "But I'm gonna make sure I become someone who deserved that kiss, 'cause I really do wanna be better. For you."

"For yourself, Laxus." Freed whispered as well, gently stroking Laxus' face with his thumb. "I'm not to be your priority now. Perhaps one day, maybe, but not now."

"Yeah, guess you're right." Laxus sighed a little.

Despite wanting to pull his friend into another kiss, Laxus pulled himself back. He had the feeling that, if he kissed Freed again, it would be hard to stop. Freed had been right, he needed to get himself in line, and do it for himself. Even if that meant he wouldn't be able to see Freed until that time happened, Laxus knew that was what needed to happen. The assurance that Freed still thought about him in any kind of fondness was more than he dared hoped for when requesting his friend meet him again; the fact he had admitted there was even a chance that he might reciprocate the mess of feelings Laxus was undergoing was more than he deserved.

Besides, if he didn't see Freed again for some time, that was okay. If his exile had proven anything, it was that distance truly made the heart grow fonder.


	2. A Spectacle For All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When called upon by the organisers of the Grand Magic Games to entertain the crowds during the day of rest, Laxus and Freed indulge in a stage match and truly make a spectacle for all..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back. This one shot is for day 2 of the week with the prompt Competitive/Power Couple. Again, i enjoyed writing this and I hope you're all looking forward to some flirtations fighting. It's also a little bit lighter and more fluffy than the previous fic, so I hope that's something you all like :)
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much.  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

****

**~~~~~**

**A Spectacle for All**

"Coming from the south gates, Laxus Dreyar!"

On his given que, Laxus slowly began to walk out of the small brick tunnel and into the large stadium housed in Crocus. The rafters were filled with a rambunctious crowd that came alive as the blonde walked across the bare dirt, towards the centre of the stadium. Laxus considered raising his hand to the crowd to raise their anticipation further but decided against it; they seemed excited enough with the fight that they were going to see.

The Grand Magic Games were half way through, thankfully less eventful than it had been the last time Laxus had been included. After not being put in Fairy Tail's only team – as Erza had taken the only S-Class position available according to a new rule - the blonde had been called upon to partake in an exhibition fight, something to tide over the audience while the teams participating were given a day to rest. He'd taken the offer thinking it would have a low turnout and be forgotten the day after, but the organisers of the games had advertised his fight just as much as the actual competition. His opponent was the reason for this.

"And coming from the north gate," The announcer continued. "Freed Justine."

Under the intense sunlight, Laxus could see as Freed walked out from the tunnel opposite and the crowd began to cheer again. The blonde smirked a little, grinning as he and his husband began walking towards each other, noticing Freed had a cocky smirk on his face.

The couple had undergone an interesting year. After their previous win at the Grand Magic Games, some of the more prominent wizards of Fairy Tail were given almost celebrity status. For the most part, the couple had managed to avoid the worst of Fiore's tabloid attention, until it was discovered that they'd quietly gotten married without the press knowing. After Sorcerer-Weekly had found this out and published it, they became the centre of the media's attention because, as the magazine had claimed, they were a power couple for the modern age. At first, the interview and photoshoot requests had been hard to deal with, but they grew to adapt, and it became another part of their lives.

Besides, they both agreed it was better to have the country celebrating their romance than to have abuse hurled at them for it.

Having the two of them fight was a good decision on the organisers part. Both men had not only been celebrated for their relationship, but also for their magic and their power. It was obvious that the crowd would be interested to see their magic's clash, and it was certainly creating enough hype to tide the games over until the day of rest ended.

Eventually, both men were standing in the middle of the battlefield. Freed had maintained the small smirk on his face, Laxus matching it with a grin. The announcer had to wait for the cheering to die down before he could begin, giving the two men a few moments to talk.

"Why Laxus, imagine seeing you here." Freed grinned.

"I know. Out of all the guys I could've been put against, I get to beat your smug ass into the ground," Laxus chuckled a little, playfully cracking his knuckled. "Must be Christmas."

"Don't assume your victory," Freed grin turned to a smirk. "I know how to get the better of you. Not to mention, there's the old idea that pride comes before a fall."

"If that were true, dear," Laxus continued, smirk intensifying. "You'd never be off your ass."

Freed thought for a moment, before chuckling. "That's fair."

Throughout their conversation, the announcer had begun to speak and explained the rules of the fight. It was to last no more than five minutes, but either side could call it off early if needed. As it had no influence on the overall scoring, the fight would end with no official winner or loser. It was purely for entertainment, which both men knew as they'd been told to make a show but not to make it too violent.

After shaking hands, a new custom that happened before the fights in the games, both men walked to the marks on the battlefield that were to be their starting positions. The crowd began to cheer again, the announcer beginning a countdown, and the couple faced each other, staring each other down with confident expressions.

"Three. Two. One," The Announcer yelled. "Fight!"

Laxus was first to move. Lightning crackled around the bottom half of his legs, propelling him forward as he ran towards his husband. The blonde raised a fist, lightning sneaking up his body and licking at his exposed skin. His eyes narrowed, shooting a manic stream of magic towards Freed's chest.

Through a small cloud of dust that had risen from the dirt, Laxus could see Freed quickly pull the sword out from its scabbard and swipe it through the air, a small circle of runes absorbing the bolt of lightning before it could hit him. The blonde smirked a little, having expected that to be Freed's way of blocking the attack. He used the small cloud of dust to his favour, using the lightning around his shins to move faster than normal. He had obviously caught Freed off guard, as he was allowed the opportunity to land his fist into Freed's stomach and knock him back.

With a grin on his face, the blonde sent a stream of his magic into the man's upper body and threw him back to the ground. Laxus heard a gasp from the crowd but ignored it. He assumed his actions had looked pretty brutal, but he had made sure his magic wasn't strong enough to leave lasting damage. Even if he didn't, he'd seen Freed take stronger hits.

Using his sword for leverage, Freed stood up again with a small scowl on his face; the tension in the crowd was lifted after they saw this. Laxus went to perform another spell to advance the lead he had on Freed, but the rune mage was just as fast in his actions.

Swiping his sword through the air, Freed summoned three orbs of pulsating dark energy. A moment later, tentacle-like beams of the same shadowy energy began to fly towards the blonde. They came from a new spell Freed was trying out; he wanted to utilise the magic energy his demon forms could use without the need for a full transformation, as that was a waste of energy in many situation.

Lightning quickly covered the blonde's body, spurting out and flickering against the constructs of shadow flowing towards him. The barrage of lightning seemed to hold of his husband's spell for a short while, before one swirling beam of energy snuck past the quickly pulsing lightning and wrapped around the blonde's waist tightly. Laxus gasped out in pain as he was raised into the air; he hardly ever had to feel the shadow-like energy Freed could harness but the sensation always felt as though he was being slashed at by thousands of knifes, most likely as the energy was tainted with the pain spells his husband would use.

The stabbing sensation around his waists was quickly removed, replaced with the feeling of being thrown to the floor. The lightning crackled away just before the blonde hit the hard dirt floor, a groan of pain leaving his lips as he went to stand up.

As he moved, he saw a shadow cast itself over him. He looked up to see Freed grinning down at him cockily with his sword outstretched. The arrogance of his husband was obvious, seen in a slightly patronising smirk that made the other man look annoyingly handsome. Slightly distracted by this, Laxus allowed Freed to place the sword under his chin and use it to tilt his head up and make eye contact between both men; meaning the blonde was forced to endure more of the handsomely smug expression on his husband's face.

"Stinging?" Freed asked, smirking.

"A little," Laxus admitted, but was grinning. "Could be worse. At least I'm fighting someone who needs to toss me about to hurt me, instead of being able to just use their magic."

"I assume you're trying to aggravate me so that I'll make a mistake," Freed chuckled, tilting Laxus' head up a little more. "It won't work, but I'm happy to play along."

Freed quickly swiped his sword to the left, less than an inch away from Laxus' throat; the blond knew there was no chance of getting cut, Freed was always in control with his weapon. The blonde watched as runic lettering began to form in the air – more ceremoniously than Freed's usual spells, something done for the crowd no doubt – before they flew towards Laxus and engraved themselves onto his skin. The cutting sensation suddenly filled Laxus entire body, more painful than before.

Laxus quickly dug his hands into the dirt, knowing that this was Freed's pain spell and that the feeling would get progressively worse. He began to summon a more powerful form of his lightning to cover his body, eyes flashing yellow. After seeing Freed fight many times, he knew his spell could be countered with enough pure magical-energy overloading it.

The magic energy began to create an excess wind, Freed covering his face slightly with his arm to stop the dust from entering his eyes. A sphere of electrical energy was starting to expand around Laxus, a testimony to just how much power was needed to overwhelm Freed's spell, and the rune mage knew it would continue to get larger and larger. He quickly brought his wings out, flying back into the air as the sphere around Laxus expanded quickly. The rune-mage shielded his eyes further and the magic energy got brighter and brighter, pulsating with intimidating force and growing larger until it dissipated, sending a small shell of lightning across the crowd that left nothing but a tickling sensation.

When the mess of dust and static died down, Laxus looked up to Freed with a grin on his face. The runes had been burned off his skin and all signs of pain gone, although he was panting with the magical energy he had used.

"That your worst?" Laxus taunted. "Hardly felt it. Makes me think that maybe working with me is too tough, you should start taking jobs more your speed."

When Laxus winked at him, Freed grinned a little at the playful comment. The blonde then summoned lightning around his lower body, using it to propel himself into the air and onto the same height as his airborne husband. Instead of spurting a beam of lightning like Freed would expect, Laxus managed to control his propulsion so he was flung towards his husband, slamming his fist into the mans chest with vicious force.

In mid-air, with shocking control of his movements, he then swung himself around so that he was hovering slightly above Freed. He placed both hands on the mans stomach and pumped lightning into them, giving enough force to send him flying to the ground.

Managing to land in a semi-comfortable position, Laxus looked to the dust cloud around where his husband had fallen. He knew the small amount of electricity and the fall wouldn't have taken Freed out, so he needed to prepare himself for whatever counter attack the rune-mage had planned for him. Lightning danced across the exposed skin of his arms in preparation, knowing he would have to act fast when Freed finally acted. His fist clenched slightly as he gazed through the dust, hoping to see the figure of his opponent.

"Focus Laxus," Freed's voice whispered, Laxus' eyes widening as he heard the soft-spoken voice from right over his shoulder. "You're slipping."

Laxus turned quickly to see Freed behind him. Shit, he'd forgotten Freed could teleport. The blonde was helpless as pain runes were implanted on his spine, a yell of pain filling the stadium. Laxus clenched his fist as he tried to deal with the pain, watching as Jutsu Shiki lettering surrounded him. A moment later, they lit up and he was forced to endure the effect. The gravity inside of the trap was soon pushing down on him, pinning him to the floor.

"Enjoying the view from down there?" Freed questioned with a smirk.

"Ain't too bad," Laxus said through gritted teeth, getting a slight handle on the pain. "The enchantment was fast, you been practicing?"

"I'm glad that you noticed," Freed chuckled. "And your air control is getting better."

"Guess you're a good teacher," Laxus grunted a little as the enchantment glowed and the force pushing him down increased. He looked up at Freed with a soft glare. "That really needed?"

"I plan to win, Laxus."

The blonde grunted, placing his arms in the push-up position and slowly rising against the strong force of the exaggerated gravity. He used his lightning to try and burn off the pain rune on his back, knowing it would be easier to remove as more of his energy was going into the gravity modifying enchantment. When he had a small amount of distance between his body and the ground, he summoned a large torrent of lightning below him and used it to create a small explosion that knocked him out of the rune; thankfully Freed hadn't made it a full entrapment rune.

Before the rune-mage could do anything to stop him, Laxus ran towards his husband at his full speed. Two large beams of lightning shot out from his hands and began to spiral around one another, flying across the air and towards Freed.

When the two powerful streams of lightning collided with the rune mage, he was sent flying back and into the wall of the arena, a loud boom following it. There was a moment of silence where the crowd, and even Laxus, wondered if the spell had been more powerful than expected. That fear was soon forgotten when the dragon-slayer saw the silhouette of his husband stand up. A pulsating black wind slowly began forming around Freed's figure.

It happened in a moment, but Laxus knew what to expect. The dusty silhouette mutated slightly, growing in size and gaining demonic like qualities. Laxus gulped slightly, knowing that the fight would be getting much more painful for him, even if this was just something done for the crowd.

Freed quickly ran out of dust cloud, revealing to the crowd that he had transformed into one of his demon forms that somewhat resembled a demon. He was faster, stronger and had higher levels of magical energy than in his normal body, even if Freed was intimidating enough as it was without any form of transformation.

Laxus grinned, it was fun sparring with the demon.

As Freed got closer, a purple glow surrounded him, and he disappeared. Laxus knew that all of Freed's abilities were enhanced in his demon forms, meaning his teleportation would most likely be quicker. He turned to see where Freed had moved to, only to receive a punch to the jaw from the blurred figure of Freed, which disappeared before Laxus could counter him.

Another punch came. Then a kick. Then another.

Laxus was quickly being overpowered by his husband's quick movements, and he knew that the longer it continued the harder it would be to get back the power over the situation. As he wouldn't be able to see Freed long enough to land a physical hit on him, he knew that the only way to stop the onslaught of attacks would be to use a powerful burst of lightning and make sure Freed couldn't avoid them. He closed his eyes, channelling his magic out from the entirety of his body, creating a similar sphere of energy he had used to burn off Freed's previous runes.

Being forced back by the crackling lightning, Freed jumped back and looked at Laxus with slightly narrowed eyes. His husband stopped the minor explosion of electricity, standing up straight and smirking at his husband. He cracked his knuckles, smirking.

"You're faster than when we spared last," Laxus grinned. "You been training without me?"

"I need to keep you on your toes," Freed's voice was somewhat warped, warped by the demonic form he wore. "And you're one to talk. Your lightning propulsion has gotten much stronger."

"Glad you noticed," Laxus chuckled.

The small interlude now completed, Laxus launched himself forward with a raised fist. With lightning crackling around him, he rushed forward and delivered a punch to Freed's Jaw and sent him stumbling back. Freed's teeth were exposed as his demonic face twisted into a smirk as he leapt back before the punch could be followed up, his wings spouting out again, almost inky in their appearance. Laxus grunted, glancing up to the man.

Looking up at his husband, Laxus could do nothing as dark energy began to culminate above him. The blonde had to shield his eyes as the large ball of shadows was flung towards the floor. It exploded on impact, waves of darkness knocking Laxus back and to the ground. Each wave sent a shiver of pain throughout his body.

After the waves died down, Laxus looked up at Freed through gritted eyes. Even with the distance, his husband's confidence was obvious. The cocky, and admittedly pretty attractive, stance his husband was taking only spurred the blonde on, making him push off the ground.

"Lightning Dragon: Breakdown Fist."

With his fist outstretched and a powerful magic circle dusting his knuckles, the sound of a quickly forming fist of lightning was only overpowered by the roaring crowd. It seemed that, despite the fact all of Laxus' lightning was technically dragon-slayer magic, they had been wanting to see something that was obviously dragon slayer. The blonde was happy to oblige.

Freed shunted himself back in an attempt to avoid the airborne fist of lightning, but the magic attack followed Freed's movements fast enough to smash into his torso, rendering him in a state of temporary paralysis and open for any attacks Laxus wished to lay into him.

Seizing the presented opportunity, Laxus ran towards his husband and began a barrage of punches and kicks similar to that of what Freed had just done to him. Though to the crowd it may have looked like a brutal attack, Laxus was more than aware of what the other man could handle in a fight. This was nothing; if anything, Freed would end up scolding him for going easy on him. Still, Laxus knew Freed was holding back just as much, and wanted to make sure the other man was defiantly safe.

Too engrossed in the torrent of punches, Laxus failed to notice the temporary paralysis breaking off. Freed stood still, taking the beating but clenching his fist. Magic slowly gathered around it, creating a single tendril of magic that snuck up around Laxus' body and wrapped him up like a coil. It tightened his grip before Laxus had a chance react, trapping him and ending the attack.

"Less than a minute left," Freed practically whispered. "We should end on a high note."

"Could use my roar," Laxus said, shifting slightly in the magic wrapped around him. Despite his position, he continued speaking with a taunt in his voice. "You got any spells powerful enough to keep up with that."

"You're fully aware that I have", Freed narrowed his eyes slightly, tightening the spell containing his husband. Laxus grimaced at the squeezing. "But for doubting my abilities, I think you deserve this, don't you?"

Before Laxus could question what Freed meant, the rune-mage made a flicking motion with his hand. In line with the motion of Freed's hand, Laxus was lifted to the air while still having Freed's spell wrapped around him like a coiled snake. Without warning, the spell suddenly threw him to the ground with a vicious lack of care for the man. Laxus suspected that Freed also was judging his actions on what he knew Laxus could take without serious injuries, meaning he looked like he wasn't holding back with the viciousness of the attacks. At least in the eyes of someone who barely knew Freed, of course.

Pushing himself off the ground again – as Freed was apparently enjoying throwing him against it – Laxus slowly stood up. He was looking a beaten up at that point, and no doubt Freed would be the same when he removed his demon form. Both men had more in them, certainly enough to tide over the next thirty seconds of the match.

On either side of the stadium, both men were staring each other down. They were panting and took the few moments of stillness to regain both their breath and their magical energy. Despite the distance between them, Laxus noticed a small nod come from his husband.

"Thunder Dragon's Roar!" Laxus yelled.

After taking in a large amount of air, he channelled his magic out of his mouth. A large, intricate magic circle formed before him, a large stream of crackling and pulsating lightning shooting out towards Freed a second later. The stadium was illuminated harshly with the brightness of the spell as crowd cheered and yelled their appreciation, managing to drown out the booming sound of the thunder that accompanied Laxus' lightning.

Freed placed both hands in front of him, quickly drawing in magical energy around him that created a wind effect. In a second, two streams of magic were streaming out of his hands in a spiralling motion that resembled a huge drill blade, aimed so it would clash with Laxus' roar.

When the two powerful spells collided, a cataclysmic boom filled the stadium and created a powerful backwind that temporarily stunned the crowd into silence before bursting into a louder set of cheering. In the centre of the stadium, sparks of both lightning and shadow began to fly off as the two opposing magics fought for dominance. With every second, another pulse of strong wind swept the crowd and two men, who were now forced to dig their heals into the dirt so that the power of their combined magics didn't knock them off their feet.

With a grunt, Freed made a gesture that Laxus identified as part of his Tai Chi workout; the rune mage often combined his exercised and his magic. Suddenly, the shadow began to push back the lightning, overpowering it.

Laxus clenched his fists and forced more of his magical energy into the spell, also focusing on revealing the scales that came with Dragon Force; for show, not because he needed to use that form. Soon, his lightning was pushing back against the shadow and they were just as evenly matched as they were before, however the magic power in the stadium were much more intense.

The two men channelled their powerful magics into the intense spells, putting all effort into keeping upright while making sure that their attacks were not overthrown by their partners. Laxus had his jaw clenched while Freed's arms were shaking slightly at maintaining the spell. The sight was intimidating, enchanting and intense at once.

"And time!" The announcer yelled over the sound of magic. "Competitors, drop your spells!"

Though it took a few seconds for the instruction to be heard, both men carefully aimed their spells to the ground before slowly ending them, Freed also dropping his demon form. The slowly walked towards each other, both slightly exhausted from the intense exercise that had happened in the previous five minutes. As Laxus got closer, he could see that Freed was just as beat up as he himself was. They were both grinning despite this.

When they reached each other, they reached out and shook each other's hands; another ritual made by the organisers to prove there was no hard feeling between competitors. When they did, the loud crowd cheered yet again.

"You think they enjoyed it?" Laxus grinned a little.

"Perhaps. We can't really tell, they were awfully quiet," Freed chuckled sarcastically. "But the ending is slightly disappointing, I'm sure. To go from such a display of magic to a simple handshake, a little underwhelming don't you think?"

"Guess so. What are you suggesting we do to fix it?" Laxus said with a smirk, knowing what was coming.

Freed matched the grin, placing his hands gently on Laxus' jaw and slowly pulling his husband close. Their lips collided gently in a soft and passionate kiss, to which the crowd seemed to cheer at louder than they had at any point in the fight. It felt odd that such a large crowd were happy to see them kiss, but they both were beginning to adjust to it; it did help that both men had the ability to create a world of just the two of them, meaning the crowd was forgotten during their embrace.

When they pulled away from each other, they both smiled and were blushing a little. It had been a steep learning curve to go from having a pretty private relationship – with only the Fairy Tail members really knowing they were together – to having their romance on the front page of magazines. As long as the journalists were respectful, neither men cared enough to complain.

As instructed, they were soon leaving the arena, walking towards the south entrance side by side. Though they were still blushing, both men were grinning. Freed looked up towards Laxus with mischief in his eyes.

"You're handling your loss well," Freed taunted. "It's big of you."

"You think I lost huh?" Laxus chuckled. "Wanna tell me where that came from, 'cause I remember being told not to win and just to show off."

"Oh, of course. If that's what you want to think, then by all means…"

"You trying to tell me you think, if we went all out, that's the best I could do. I had plenty more left, I just wanted to make sure I didn't hurt ya too much," Laxus crossed his arms, smirking. "And at least I didn't need to transform to look powerful, unlike someone I know."

"The scales on your arm say differently," Freed smirked. "If we didn't hold back, I could have beaten you within a minute."

"One-hundred jewels says that's bullshit," Laxus narrowed his eyes slightly, looking down at his husband as they walked into the shadowed tunnel of the stadium. "Actually, not just that. I bet you a hundred-jewels that you couldn't knock me out in a fight, period. You have to be able to hit someone to do that; going at full speed, you wouldn't get close."

"You're being cocky again Laxus, especially for a man covered in bruises."

Once both men were out of sunlight and the crowd were cheering for the next exhibition match, Laxus stopped and looked down at Freed. He wore an expression of tender love, noticing that Freed's cocky smirk was slowly turning to a soft smile when they made eye contact. The blonde really did love his husband, cocky side and painful magic included.

He slowly cupped the other mans cheeks and the two men shared a softy, more loving kiss. Alone, in the quiet of the small tunnel, they were perfect.


	3. Thoughts Of An Old Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freed and Laxus are soon to wed, and they have called upon Makarov Dreyar to write a speech for their reception. The old man faces some difficulty with getting out the right words, but when he manages to listen to his heart he makes something beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back. This one shot if for day three, with the prompt Makarov. This one was really fun to write and I hope you all like it. I've always envisioned Makarov as a massive supporter of Freed and Laxus, which should be pretty obvious. This is hopefully a pretty sweet one, so I hope you're ready for some fluff.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much.  
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

****

**~~~~~**

**Thoughts of an Old Man**

"Master, why are you here so late?"

Makarov looked up when he heard Mirajane's softy spoken question, watching as the barmaid walked the length of his office and stood before his desk. It was cluttered with many forms, pieces of paperwork and other guild related necessities. Despite this, the old man was staring down intently at one piece of paper in the centre of the desk, the content of which was obstructed by the man's head. Next to the paper, a pen was resting in an inkwell and a mug of coffee stood half drunk, the milk now creating an unappealing looking skin at the top.

The man sitting at the desk was just as haggard looking. He was clearly exhausted, hunched over his desk while obviously holding back a yawn. Resting slightly slanted on his nose was a pair of glasses, which he only wore when doing some form of administration. When he looked up and gave Mirajane a soft smile, it lacked the usual vibrancy and energy.

"I would have thought you would be downstairs with everyone else," Mirajane continued, pulling the mug of lukewarm coffee away. "Or at home, it's past midnight."

"Is it really?" Makarov frowned, he had thought it was ten at the latest. "Damn, I planned to leave at eleven. Porlyusica told me to cut down on the late nights. Still, its better being in here than spending the night drinking."

Mirajane laughed quietly, taking out a wooden chair that was kept to the side of the room and sitting opposite Makarov. She glanced over the desk again, mainly focusing on whatever piece of paper he was working on. It wasn't any form of guild admin, and he thankfully wasn't wasting the money the guild had on some frivolous thing that the guild didn't need. In fact, it wasn't any form of paperwork at all, it was just a few intently scribbled out sentences at the top of a blank page.

"Why are you locked up in here?" Mirajane asked after curiosity got the better of her.

"Just trying to get this right," Makarov groaned, tapping his finger on the nearly blank paper. "For Freed and Laxus' wedding. They asked me to give a speech at the reception. Apparently, they thought that I should say something as the only biological family either of them actually talk to."

"That's nice," Mirajane smiled. "I'm guessing it's not going well?"

"I just… I can't get it right," The guild-master groaned, resting his head on the desk in an overdramatic fashion. "I've been trying to write it for a few days, still nothing."

With a small smile, Mirajane stood up and picked up the chair. She moved around the desk, so she was sitting beside Makarov, looking at the paper and patting the guild-master's hand gently. She was glad to hear that the couple had given Makarov an integral part in their wedding, he had been ecstatic to hear the two were to wed – as was everybody in the guild when they were told the news – and she knew he would have been honoured to be given any part in the wedding.

It was obvious that the older man was putting a lot of effort into the speech, clearly wanting to make his grandson's wedding as good as it could be. The fact he was writing the speech out instead of adlibbing it as he usually did when speaking publicly was telling enough, but the fact he had been working on it for days and had been yet to produce anything clearly showed the importance he placed on the task.

"Well, how are you struggling?" Mirajane asked gently. "Is it just a matter of starting it, or is it the whole thing?"

"The whole thing I suppose," Makarov groaned, taking the pen out of the ink well and poising it for writing. "I think the main issue is I can't get the balance right between humour and seriousness. Any jokes I make seem to be forced and a little cringeworthy. And when I speak from the heart… I don't know, it makes me sound like a wistful old man."

"I doubt you'll sound like that, Master. You're proud of your grandson, and of Freed. I'm sure that's what people will think," Mirajane assured him, "And if you're worried about jokes, maybe don't do them. Bickslow's doing their best man speech, I'm sure he's got enough blackmail and embarrassing storied about them both to keep everyone entertained. So, there's no actual need for you to make jokes if you're not comfortable."

Makarov didn't reply, instead he let out a small sigh. He supposed that she was right, he had actually talked to Bickslow about his speech and the mage had assured him it would be laugh a minute, meaning that Makarov had the space to take a more serious approach with his speech, something he was thankful for.

He groaned loudly, placing his slightly dripping pen on the desk. Even if the stress of having to make bad jokes about his grandson was gone, it still didn't alleviate the worry of him sounding like an overly emotional old man. Mirajane may have been right in that people would understand how damn proud he was of his grandson – and indeed how proud he was of Freed, who he saw as one of his adopted children – but that still didn't change the fact he didn't know how to properly word his thoughts. Everything he had written so far had been hard to read back to himself. It just didn't feel as good as it could have been.

And damn it, this was his only grandsons wedding. He was going to make this small contribution of his as perfect as it could be.

"Master, I think you might just be overthinking things," Mirajane smiled. "They asked you to talk because they want to hear what you have to say. Just take some time and organise your thoughts, then write down what you think about the two of them and what you want to say to them. I'm sure that's all they want."

"You're probably right," Makarov smiled a little, pushing back on his chair. "That's what I'll do, thank you Mirajane. But I think it's best if I do it tomorrow, if I keep going like this then I'll end up collapsing at my desk."

He laughed a little, wishing Mirajane a good night as she left the office to tend the few patrons still at the bar. With a yawn, he slowly clicked on the pen's lid and placed it into his draw, while also storing the inkwell beside it. As he did this, he made a mental note to make sure he took Mirajane's advice; after all, what more could Laxus and Freed want than for him to speak from the heart about why they were good for each other.

He left the guild though the back door, unintentionally reminiscing about how his grandson had changed since dating Freed. Though he didn't know if the rune mage was entirely to credit for Laxus' new found humility and kindness that, as a teenager, seemed to have disappeared, but it was a change that had certainly happened. But it wasn't just Laxus who had changed. Freed had become more social with the rest of the guild, perhaps the arrogance that had shown in the attempted coup of Fairy Tail had gone. Makarov liked to think that Laxus had a little something to do with the change in the rune mage as well.

A smile spread across the guild-master's face as he walked. The two really were right for each other, and the fact they were getting married proved this. He felt his stress in writing the script lessen slightly, Mirajane's advice truly had helped.

Yes. Speaking from the heart was all he needed to do. And, in reference to his grandson and soon to be grandson-in-law, his heart was getting incredibly talkative already.

* * *

**~One Week Later~**

After knocking back the remainder of his tankard of ale and letting out a satisfied sigh, Laxus pushed his chair back and stood up. It was late evening, the guildhall was as crowded and rowdy as to be expected, with Gray and Natsu engaged in an argument at their table that would inevitably end up in a fight, and Gajeel was in the annoying state of drunkenness that made him think he could sing and he would soon start demanding access to the stage so that he could prove it. This happened often and had become an indicator that it was time for Laxus to go home.

He walked through the guildhall alone. His fiancé had taken a solo mission for the weekend, so they could be sure they had enough for the wedding they wanted – high quality rune mages were rare, so the jobs paid well – meaning Laxus was left at the guild without him. The blonde didn't mind, they spent a lot of time together and, in their profession, time away just happened, and they were used to it.

"Laxus. Wait a second," Mirajane called from behind the bar, gathering the slayer's attention.

With a silent groan – his bed was calling, after all – Laxus turned where he stood and walked back to the bar. Mirajane was waiting between two drinkers, ignoring the calls from Cana to fill up her already half empty mug with more beer. He rolled his eyes, leaning on the bar top.

"Master asked me to give you this before you left," Mirajane explained, reaching under the bar and taking out a small envelope which she handed to Laxus. "He asked if you could read through it."

"What is it?" Laxus asked as he took the envelope.

"His speech for your reception," Mirajane smiled, taking Cana's mug and filling it to completion, making sure it had hardly any froth. "I know that you probably wanted it to be a surprise, but I think it'll be better for him if you see it first. He's been quite worried about whether it'll be good enough and I think you giving it your stamp of approval will calm him down."

"Yeah, that's fine," Laxus nodded. "Didn't know it was stressing him out, didn't wanna put pressure on him."

"Oh don't worry. He'd be even more stressed if he didn't have anything to do," Mirajane smiled.

"Guess so." Laxus nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem, see you tomorrow."

Laxus nodded and walked out of the guildhall, holding the envelope in his hands. He felt slightly guilty to learn he had made Makarov stressed, that obviously hadn't been the intention of letting Makarov speak. Both Freed and Laxus had agreed that it felt right to let Makarov play a key part in their wedding, he was practically the reason they were together. Not only for the fact he ran Fairy Tail, which was how they met, but if Makarov hadn't taken over as Laxus' carer and he was left with Ivan, it wouldn't be implausible to think Laxus would have denied any feelings he had for Freed. The old man was a big part in their relationship and deserved to have his say.

The walk home wasn't long, his and Freed's house wasn't too far away and the late evening meant there wasn't anybody standing in the way. Being tall had its perks, but his strides were long so walking behind people could be torturous.

When he got home, he went to his living room first. He had planned on retiring to bed immediately, but if Makarov was panicking about his thoughts on the speech then it wouldn't be fair to leave him waiting. He kicked off his boots, slammed his feet on the coffee table and he carefully opened the letter, unfolding the speech to see it was written in his grandfather's shockingly neat handwriting; it honestly could rival Freed's.

Before reading, he got himself a small glass of scotch, he wanted to be in the best frame of mind to read after all. Now settled, he picked up the paper from the side table and began to read.

_~~~_

_Hello everybody. For those of you who don't know me, although I suspect most of you do, my name is Makarov Dreyar. Obviously, I'm Laxus' grandfather and I'm also the guild-master for Fairy Tail, the guild where both the groom's work and where they met. So obviously, I've known both Laxus and Freed for quite some time and, to put it bluntly, these two men are perfect for each other._

_I'll be honest. When it came to writing this speech, I really didn't know where to start. It took the advice of a woman much wiser than me to make me realise that all I needed to say was what I think about these two fine young men. So, taking on board that advice, that's what I'll be doing. With my trademark charm of course._

_~~~_

Laxus shifted a little in his chair, hoping to god that his grandfather wasn't going to bring out any embarrassing stories. Both Freed and Laxus were already dreading whatever Bickslow was going to reveal about them during his speech, they didn't need the added worry of Makarov exposing some of the embarrassing stories from their childhood.

The blonde brought the glass to his lips, shifting back in his chair and getting comfortable. Before he began reading again, he ran his hand through his hair to get the fringe out of his eyes. Lucy had instructed him to grow it out a little, that way her hair-cutting spirit had more to work with on his wedding style. The blonde had hesitantly agreed – Freed was the guy in the relationship who could pull off long hair, not him – but he knew the celestial mage probably knew best. With his hair settled, he began reading again.

_~~~_

_I want to start this off by saying nobody is perfect. Every man, woman and child have things that make them imperfect; these two are no different. But these imperfections, quirks in personality, are what makes a person real. What makes them beautiful. What makes them irreplaceable._

_It takes one hell of a person to look past the imperfections of another to see the true beauty of a person. It takes an even bigger person to not only just look past the imperfections but accept them and grow to love them. And that's what I think makes love – true love – such a miracle. For two people to accept and cherish each other's flaws and imperfections, if that isn't something special then I don't think I know what is._

_And when I look at Laxus and Freed, I see two men with just as many flaws as you or I. But I can also see total acceptance. They take each other for who they are, and truly love each other. That doesn't happen often, and the fact it has happened between my grandson and a young man I care deeply for, that is fantastic._

_~~~_

Laxus shifted a little. He hadn't been entirely sure what to expect from his grandfather, but he certainly hadn't thought that he would hear Makarov's personal view on love. And, furthermore, he didn't expect that his grandfather's ideas about love to be so… nice. It was a mixture of realism and romance, and the blonde felt oddly honoured that Makarov felt that he shared true love with Freed.

Of course, Laxus knew that he loved Freed with as much sincerity and compassion as he could possibly hope to feel, but the fact Makarov – the man whose opinion perhaps matter more than anyone else's did – also saw this made Laxus feel inexplicably happy. He read on, wearing a small smile.

_~~~_

_To be honest, if you were to tell me five years ago – or twelve, given your perspective – that either of these men would be getting married I wouldn't have believed you. If you said they'd be getting married to each other, I would have laughed you out of the room. But the moment I found out they were dating, I realised a lot of things, mainly that the two of them were perfect for each other._

_But I also realised that both of them needed someone who could show them compassion and tenderness when needed but could also back off and give the other privacy when they wanted it; something both of them can offer each other. I realised that they were both growing up, that they were finally starting to drop their barriers and maybe allow themselves to become a little bit more vulnerable and emotional, something I'm glad about. I also realised I raised my grandson to have high standards, because Freed is a fine young man. As is my grandson, further proving how perfect they are for each other._

_~~~_

Laxus smiled a little, glad of both the praise on himself and the further evidence that his grandfather was a lot more than just approving of their relationship. Although he knew it was pointless and wrong, there was always a small voice in his head that told him Makarov was just tolerating his romance; an effect of Ivan's influence no doubt. It was nice to have written confirmation that the voice was speaking bullshit.

The blonde also had a soft smile when he read about his grandfather's realisations after finding out about him and Freed. It was true, both men could be equal parts needing of attention and hesitant to accept it. The fact they were both like that meant their relationship was just that bit stronger, he knew that the habit of shutting off could be seen as acting distant if the other person didn't understand. He was also glad that Makarov noticed both men were lowering their barriers now, and that their relationship was the reason for this.

With a soft expression on his face, Laxus shifted slightly in his chair so he was in a spooning position. He was half sad that Freed wasn't there to read the speech with him but knew that wasn't possible, so he would give it to Freed when he returned. With that in mind, he continued.

_~~~_

_I started this by saying that I didn't think anyone is perfect, and that's something I live by. When you forget the idea that people are perfect, you learn who they really are. You can see past people's actions, you can forgive people and I can assure you that, when you have realistic expectations on what people can do, your life will be better._

_Despite this, I believe perfection can be gained. Because I can see it with Laxus and Freed. When melded together, they balance each other out. They create a sense of both serenity and roaring passion. A burning star made of the coldest ice. The most chaotic storm in a cloudless sky._

_Everything they bring to their relationship, both the good and the bad, had amalgamated into perfection. These two men have not only proven that true love is possible and can happen to anyone, but they have proven to me that people can be perfect. Because when these two are together, perfection is made. And to me, that is an undeniable fact._

_~~~_

He hadn't realised it before, but when he placed the letter back on the table to take another sip of his drink, he felt tears on his cheek. It wasn't like him to cry – not often, anyway – but there was something about this that just got to him. Not only did Makarov accept him, despite the voice in his head tried to convince him otherwise, but he also loved him. With a family like Laxus', having a relative so blatant about their love was something special.

Despite this, he wiped the tears away with a silent scolding. He was thankful that he had been given the chance to read the speech before their reception, hearing it from his grandfather would have rendered him in an even more emotional state than reading it himself. Although, something told him he would cry on the day even if he knew what would be said.

After deciding that he wasn't going to worry about that, he picked up the paper again, so he could finish reading the speech. There wasn't much left of it, and the emotional mess he was being put through was more exhausting than the nightly mess of the guildhall.

_~~~_

_But I digress. I'm sure that you're all sick and tired of hearing the thoughts of an old man. Specifically when he's rambling about love. So please be upstanding for the grooms and allow me to raise a toast for these two brilliant men who have managed to find love in each other's arms._

_To Laxus and Freed. You have proven without a doubt that true love, the kind that can so often be only seen in fiction, is real. As a couple, you create perfection, and I'm sure that your marriage will only make your feelings stronger and love purer. I wish you many years of joy, happiness and ecstasy. So, to Laxus and Freed._

_~~~_

Once he finished the speech, he first made sure to fold it back up and place it in the envelope, neither he nor Makarov would forgive him if it were damaged. He then sat back in his chair, holding the now empty glass in his hands so that he could process all that was going through his head.

When he had asked Makarov to make a speech, he had done so because he thought that the older man was pivotal in his relationship coming into being. But the speech had shown Laxus that his grandfather had a greater sense of purpose in the construction in his life. Perhaps he had always assumed he got the compassion and emotional side from the mother he barely knew – he certainly didn't get it from his father – but he must have been wrong. The speech suggested he had inherited it from Makarov.

In many ways, he really was his grandfather's grandchild.

Despite his mind being full of uncertainties, there was one thing he knew for sure. The speech, in those exact words, was what Makarov needed to say. Laxus would make no tweaks, suggest no ways to improve it. This was his grandfather's words and, as it had moved Laxus to such a degree, the blonde wanted it to be said in front of everyone he and Freed cared for. The speech encapsulated what it really meant to be a Dreyar. It encapsulated Makarov.

He sat still for quite some time, thinking through different aspects of the speech. A soft warmth had filled his system, the same soft warmth he had experienced whenever he became romantic with Freed. A feeling he now knew was love.

Too engrossed in the after effects of the speech, he was taken unaware when the door to his house was opened. He usually heard the squeaky gate at the front garden open but had been too distracted at that moment. He didn't worry when he heard the door open, his house was one of the most secure in the city. Although he was mildly confused by the lack of any warning at all, usually he would have received a mental projection of anyone entering the garden who hadn't been expressly invited. The only people exempt of that were Freed and himself.

The confusion was removed when he glanced up to see Freed as he removed his coat. He smiled a little at the lack of a greeting, Freed obviously expected him to be sleeping. He slightly hoped his rune mage would mutter his complaints about him leaving the living room lights on before realising Laxus was still awake, but instead all he was gifted was the sight of his fiancé, tired looking with soft features.

It was one hell of a gift.

"Laxus?" Freed said softly. "I assumed you were sleeping."

"Not yet," Laxus smiled, shifting so there was enough space on the seat for Freed to join him. "Thought you were coming back tomorrow morning?"

"I finished my mission a little early and thought I might as well take the night train, rather than waste money on another night at the inn." Freed explained as he walked into the living room, not before removing his boots. When he saw Laxus' face, which housed the trickles of tears and puffy eyes, he frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great." Laxus grinned, voice crackling slightly. "Better than great. Gramps gave me the speech to check over. It's good."

"Evidently, if it's garnered that reaction." Freed chuckled gently, leaning down to give his fiancé a soft kiss before sitting in his arms. "May I read it?"

Laxus nodded and reached to the side table of the chair, passing Freed the perfectly stored speech. Freed removed it with as much care as Laxus had handled it with, tucking his hair behind his ears so it wasn't blocking his sight. Laxus watched the small display with a grin. Makarov was right, the two were damn well perfect for

Freed read through the speech faster than Laxus had, although made sure to give every word its due amount of care. The blonde decided to watch his fiance's face as he read, watching as it showed a variety of emotions, each differing with every sentence. When he saw Freed swallow down a lump in his throat, Laxus wrapped his arm around Freed's shoulders and planted a soft kiss on his collar bone. Freed relaxed into his grasp, leaning on his shoulder as he continued reading, smiling gently at every word.

Once he finished, he carefully folded it back up and returned it to the envelope. Laxus could see that Freed's eyes were glossing over slightly, obviously he had the same emotional reaction that Laxus had. The blond simply planted another kiss on the side on his head, waiting for his fiancé to speak.

"Your grandfather has a way with words, doesn't me?" Is what Freed eventually settled on.

"When he wants to, yeah." Laxus chuckled. "You okay with him saying that?"

"Of course." Freed smiled, leaning up and resting his head further into the crook of Laxus' neck. "There's a chance I'll react as emotionally then as I am now, but I think if there's any day you can be forgiven for being emotional, it's your wedding."

"Definitely" Laxus grinned. "We should visit him tomorrow and tell him it's fine. Well, tell him it left us both wrecked, which I'm sure is what the old bastard intended."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to hear it." Freed nodded, watching as Laxus yawned. "We should sleep, though. It feels as though we're both about to pass out."

Laxus nodded, but didn't remove his arm from around Freed's waist, where it had settled. Instead, he brought his free hand up and slowly moved Freed's head so that they were face to face, leaning in and taking a slow, loving kiss. Freed was happy to reciprocate, melting into his fiancé as they pulled apart, resting their foreheads together. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, taking a silent second to appreciate their love for one another.

Eventually they were forced to retire to bed, where they slept soundly in each other's arms with the knowledge their guild master was delighted for their upcoming wedding. The next morning, they visited Makarov's office and confessed how much the speech had moved them, which gained them a reply of happiness and relief before they were ushered out by an expanded hand. Laxus had claimed it was so the old man could become as emotional as he and Freed had been, but wanted to do it alone so he could keep up a façade of some kind.

Whatever façade he tried to maintain had fallen when he was called on to make the actual speech. Half way through, he was crying over his words. Many guild members and guests joined him, and the two newlyweds didn't make it through with dry eyes.

Though the day in its entire was something Laxus would never forget, that moment was special. Hearing his grandfather speak the words that had affected him so much, it was something that the blonde would cherish for an eternity. It was a memory that couldn't be tainted or forgotten. Like many things in his life at that time, those few moments were prefect. And he had Makarov Dreyar to thank for it.


	4. A Patchwork Romance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During a difficult mission, Freed is injured and Laxus is called upon to patch him up. As a form of distraction, the two begin to talk about the times they have taken care of each other throughout the years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back again! Forth prompt this time, this time it's for 'Patching each other up.' This one was pretty nice to write, but I should warn you that it has some mentions of blood and injuries. So, if you're a little squeamish or don't like any body horror type things, then maybe give this one a miss. It's up to you and it's not too bad, but I thought it would be better to warn you. 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much.   
> Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

****

**~~~~~**

**A Patchwork Romance**

Standing at the base of a mountain, the Raijinshuu and Laxus were fighting viciously against a newly formed dark-guild that they'd been called upon to stop before they could become a real threat to anyone. The group was small but had proven themselves as powerful by terrorising nearby towns and villages, taking things of value and performing unneeded acts of vandalism. They were also holding their own against the Fairy Tail mages, though having nearly ten mages fighting a team of four did give them an immediate advantage.

With gritted teeth, Laxus ducked back and avoided the slash of a dark-mage's dagger. He glared at the mage as he raised his hands, channelling a strong stream of lightning out of them and into his opponent's stomach, knocking him into the cliff-face. The slayer panted slightly, glad to have a few moments to catch his breath.

In the moments of respite, Laxus looked around. Ever was dealing with two of the mages by herself, keeping them at bay without much trouble. Bickslow was fighting hand to hand with one of them, his babies dealing with another. Some of the dark mages had been dealt with already, including the one that Laxus had just attacked. Freed had the hardest time, having to fight against four mages at once, they had identified his runes as the biggest threat so wanted him gone as soon as they could.

Laxus watched with slightly wide eyes as another dark mage, that had previously been trying to fight against Bickslow's dolls, ran towards his husband. Freed, too busy dealing with the mages tag-teaming him, was left unaware of the other mage running at him from behind.

"Freed!" Laxus yelled, looking over his shoulder. "Behind you- shit!"

The blonde could do nothing as Freed turned just in time to see the dark-mage running at him. The dark-mage had large dagger-like fingernails that he slashed into Freed's stomach, cutting through both his clothing and his skin. Laxus winced, eyes widening in panic as he saw blood trickling down the sharp gashes that were now obvious in Freed's stomach.

Freed acted quickly, slashing his sword through the air and planting a pain spell onto the mage that took him to the ground. Before the other mages could further attack Freed, Laxus sent another powerful beam of lightning through the air and managed to hit all three at once, knocking them back.

"Bicks, Ever, can you handle them?" Laxus shouted over the sound of fighting. "Freed's pretty bad, need to patch him up."

"Sure." Bickslow yelled back, Ever nodding as she let off her machine-gun spell on two of the mages.

Laxus ran towards Freed immediately, sending off another beam of lightning towards the three mages to keep them on the ground. He then wrapped Freed's arm around his shoulder – picking him up in any other way would contract his stomach and add to the pain he was obviously in – and slowly lifted him up.

Freed winced at the pain that the movement caused. He allowed himself to be guided away from the fight, Bickslow and Evergreen managing to hold their own against the remaining dark-mages as Freed and Laxus left. With slight hesitance, Freed looked down at his stomach and at the blood slowly trickling down the three gashes in his stomach. He clenched his fists as the reality of his injuries was truly realised, accepting that he wouldn't be able to pass it off as nothing as he would have normally tried to.

Once he'd taken Freed out of immediate danger, Laxus carefully laid his husband down on the ground. He gave him an apologetic expression when Freed let out a small whimper of pain, gently stroking his arm in an attempt at comfort. Freed smiled weakly, but the pain he was in was obvious.

"I know." Laxus whispered. "But being like this should slow down the bleeding at least."

Freed nodded weakly, watching as Laxus reached into his coat and pulled out a small round of bandages from an inside pocket. With the danger of the missions the Raijinshuu took, the team had gotten into the habit of taking basic medical supplies with them, so that they could perform small treatments in the middle of missions without the need of a healer. Given the severity of Freed's bleeding, it was proven to be a good decision.

Seeing Freed wince at the sight of the bandages, Laxus carefully leant over him and began to stroke his hair softly. Both men, having been badly hurt multiple times in their lives, knew that the pressure placed on a wound by a bandage could be agonising. But it needed to be done, so after planting a soft kiss on Freed's forehead, Laxus began to unravel the bandages.

"I need you to hold the skin together, okay." Laxus said softly, Freed's pupils dilating slightly. "I know, I know. It'll hurt like shit, but I need to close the wound, so you don't bleed out, okay?"

"I know." Freed said shakily.

The rune mage slowly moved his hands towards his stomach, noticing that Laxus had undone both his coat and shirt without him realising. The brutality of the three deep cuts dawned further on him as he reached down and slowly placed his fingers near the gashes. Upon contact, he gasped audibly and ground his teeth together, being forced to retreat and look at Laxus with a small amount of desperation. Just the act of touching them for such a short time was agonising, he couldn't hold them for as long as Laxus needed him to.

"I can't." He whispered. "I'm sorry, I can't. You'll have to do it."

"You know I ain't fast enough. I can't wrap the bandage around and make sure they're secure." Laxus whispered gently, stroking Freed's hair again. "Okay, I want you to look directly at me and listen to me, okay? Just let your hands do the work and focus on me, think you can do that?"

With a small amount of hesitance, Freed nodded. It was hard not to let his eyes stray downwards to the exposed injuries, but he knew that Laxus was intending to distract him while he closed his own wounds. It was something Freed had done with his team before and knew from experience that it had worked, so he just needed to trust his husband. He could do that, he'd trusted the man with a lot worse and a lot more severe.

Laxus had a gentle smile on his face and his left hand was still stroking through Freed's hair softly. The sounds of fighting could still be heard and offered further distraction, but the attention he got from Laxus already was starting to alleviate some of the stress. Slowly, while maintaining eye contact with Laxus, he began to bring his shaking hands down towards his stomach.

"It's usually you doing this shit for us, ain't it?" Laxus began softly, smiling slightly. "You're slipping, maybe I'm a bad influence?"

"Maybe you are." Freed whispered out a single forced laugh.

"You remember that time when I got that nasty cut on the back of my ankle?" Laxus continued, eyes focused on Freed. "Some fucker cut right through my boot, nearly ripped a ligament or something. You had to use your runes to hold me down, so I wouldn't struggle while you were numbing me, right? Told me I was acting like a kid, didn't ya? What did you threaten to do when I got back to the guild if I didn't stop moving out of the way of your spells?"

"That I'd get-" He cut himself odd with a gulp, wincing as his fingers dragged against his wound. Laxus scratched his scalp again, bringing back his focus. "I'd get Natsu and Gajeel to cauterize it themselves to close the cut, rather than getting Wendy do it."

"That was it." Laxus grinned a little, Freed smiling weakly. "We used to joke around saying you'd be a good doctor if you didn't go into a guild. Harsh enough."

When Freed sent out another weak laugh, Laxus allowed his eyes to stray down to Freed's stomach. His husband was slowly and tentatively touching his skin, getting used to the feeling of having any kind of pressure around his wound. It was something Laxus had done when he'd been in that position and, as he knew that the bleeding had been significantly slowed by the fact Freed was on his back, he would allow Freed to take his time.

He gently took the mans cheek in his hand and slowly began to stroke it. Freed seemed to nestle into the grasp slightly, letting out a small 'ah' as his finger got closer to the wound. When Laxus looked down again, he saw that Freed was now keeping his fingers next to the cuts instead of tentatively pressing at them. He would soon be pushing them together, so would need further distraction.

"And once you finally got the rune on me and I stopped acting like a little kid, you carried me to the nearest healer, right?" Laxus continued with a smile. "That was the first time Bicks or Ever saw you carrying me, wasn't it? Bet they were kinda shocked, Bickslow wouldn't stop looking at ya funny."

"I should have taken some kind of revenge for underestimating me." Freed breathed out, Laxus grinning. "Suppose I was somewhat preoccupied at the time and didn't think about- ahh."

Laxus glanced down to see Freed's fingers were now resting against the wound. He could see that Freed was struggling as his teeth were gritted and legs digging into the earth. Laxus leant forward and pressed their foreheads together with more pressure than normal; Freed had nothing to bite down on and couldn't clench his fists, so this was another way to siphon off the pain he was feeling in other areas of his body.

"You've always looked after me, really." Laxus went on with a smile, one hand helping Freed steady his arm as he went down to manipulate his flesh. "Remember when the guild was brought back together and pretty much everyone got pissed out of their minds. Even when you were drunk you still managed to look after me."

"You nearly fell into the damn canal." Freed hissed as he started to push his wounds together. "Even a drunk idiot would have the sense to stop that from happening. Other than you, apparently."

"Guess that's true." Laxus chuckled slightly and nodded. "Think that was the first time I saw you use your horizontal runes, making one under me before I hit the water. Why d'you never use them?"

"They're nothing more than platforms really." Freed panted, slowly trying to pinch the loose skin over the open wound. He tried to ignore both the pain filling his body and the small amount of blood covering his fingers. "They could be used as bridges over gaps if it was needed, but with a team full of mages with the ability to fly, they become slightly redundant."

The blonde smiled a little, leaning down and pressing his lips against Freed's to further calm him. Freed had the weakest of smiles on his face, though it was filled with restrained pain and lack of comfort. It was obvious that Freed was desperately trying to bring his shaking hands to pinch his skin together so that the bandage could probably be applied, but he was struggling. Laxus knew he had to be patient with him, so kept their foreheads together and continued stroking his hair from the position they were in.

"And when we got home from the guild that night, I collapsed on the sofa." Laxus smiled, looking at Freed with fondness. "Apparently I started talking about you."

"Singing as well." Freed grinned, knowing that Laxus had brought this up as it was something he enjoyed teasing his husband about. "You started moaning about how good I was for you or some nonsense, how I look after you 'keep you on the right path.' You then started to sing a song your grandfather taught you but changed the lyrics to make it about me."

"And then you dragged me upstairs and took me to bed, even put up with me when I wouldn't let go of ya all night."

"You honestly become like a koala when you're drunk." Freed smiled a little. "It's nice."

"Well, once you've got this sorted out I'll happily try and do that sober." Laxus promised, Freed's smile increasing slightly.

Laxus looked down to see Freed slowly bringing his fingers into a painful looking pinch, finally ready for the bandage. He left another kiss on the mans lips before leaning back. Laxus worked as quickly as possible, wrapping the bandages around his husbands stomach as fast as he could while making sure they were secure and could do what was called for. Freed seem to relax slightly when he was allowed to remove his hands from his injuries, even if the tightness of the bandage around his lower torso was still painful.

Giving Freed a few moments to relax and get used to the bandage around his stomach, Laxus put his attention into the fight. It was still going on, but the sounds of Bickslow and Evergreen fighting were louder than that of the dark-mages. That told Laxus that his team had dealt with most of them and that the fight was nearly over.

Seeing that Freed was still in pain, Laxus returned so that their foreheads were pressed together. He also took his husband by the hand and allowed him to squeeze it as hard as desired, which the rune-mage did. Freed carefully began to sit up again, leaning his back against a tree as he got used to the sensation. Laxus was patient as he moved, offering him any help he could as Freed attempted to get comfortable with his injuries.

"Guessing you won't be able to stand up without hurting, right?" Laxus asked, Freed slowly shaking his head. "And you ain't able to use your runes on yourself?"

"No, they cancel themselves out." Freed said quietly.

"I could probably numb you myself, if you wanted. But I'd probably have to overload your senses and the only way I could do that is, well…" The blonde raised a hand, lighting pulsating around it. "Done it before, it'll hurt for a couple seconds while I do it, but it'll shut your body off enough, so you can get to the nearest medic without being in agony. Your choice if you want it or not?"

"No, no." Freed said softly. "Do it. The sooner I get to the medic, the sooner I can be healed up."

Laxus nodded, though could see the trepidation in Freed's eyes. It was understandable; although it was rare, the slayer had been hit with lightning that his dragon-lacrima didn't grant him invulnerability from and it had always been agonising. Even if the pain would only last a few seconds before it was removed, Laxus knew why Freed wouldn't be looking forward to it; certainly after having to deal with the pain of the attack.

"There's been a couple of times I had to look after you though, wasn't there?" Laxus said to further distract him. He wanted to spring it on Freed, so to lessen the anticipation. "Couple years back when you got the flu, you got lumbered with me as a carer."

"I remember you doing quite well." Freed smiled a little.

"You do, huh? Because, compared to whenever I get sick and you have to look after me, I think I was far too lenient." Laxus grinned. "I tried to make you comfortable and feel warm, whereas you were always making me take crappy medicine and were taking my temperature all the damn time. More proof you'd be a good doctor, huh?"

Freed smiled slightly at the teasing. It was well known around certain members of Fairy Tail that Freed could be somewhat harsh when nursing someone back to health, Laxus was no exception to that treatment. Granted, his methods worked effectively, and the rumours of his harshness were exaggerated, but it was one of the few jokes that the Raijinshuu had about their leader's expense; Freed took them in good stride. There were much more entertaining jokes about Bickslow, Laxus and Evergreen that were called upon more often.

Seeing Freed in a moment of distraction, Laxus acted quickly. His hands were covered in lighting within a second – a well calculated amount that he had perfected after realising the medical use of his lightning – and he pressed his palms on Freed's stomach without giving Freed a second to do anything to stop him.

Freed let out a gasp of pain, gritting his teeth as his husband's lightning invaded his body. Despite the pain diminishing almost instantly and being replaced with a numbing sensation that was filling his stomach, the feeling of agony and lightning seemed to radiate throughout him. His chest was raising and falling obviously, and Laxus leant over to gently stroke his husbands face to comfort him. Freed smiled slightly at the gesture, getting used to the feeling of numbness.

"You okay?" Laxus asked after a moment.

"Fine. It's a little odd, but better than the feeling of being cut up." Freed joked weakly, shifting to move. He could now do so with significantly less pain.

"I can imagine." Laxus grinned. "Sorry you had to go through that."

"You needn't be. I shouldn't have let him sneak up on me."

Laxus would have said something on the contrary, and that Freed was dealing with more attacks than anybody else and that he should have been working with him rather than on his own but knew there was no point in it. Freed, as everyone in the Raijinshuu, was willing to admit when he thought he had made a mistake and wouldn't allow himself to be let off the hook. It was sometimes annoying when Freed hadn't actually done anything to be blamed for but thought he did, but Laxus had grown accustomed to it just as Freed had grown accustomed to the things about Laxus he would see as annoying or unneeded.

As Laxus gave Freed a final once over to make sure he had no other injuries – Freed also doing the same to Laxus, claiming he had been in as much danger as anyone – Bickslow and Evergreen ran towards them, having finished the fight. They looked to Freed immediately.

"Shit," Bickslow began, hissing slightly. "Looks bad."

"It could have been worse." Freed immediately said before Laxus could speak, sending a smile to his team. "They didn't give you too much trouble, did they?"

"They were pretty much beat when you left, we just needed to pick them off." Evergreen assured him with a small smile. "Is there anything we can do to help you out, sweetie?"

"Can you deal with the client?" Laxus answered for Freed. "I wanna get him to a medic as soon as we can just in case, you don't mind do ya?"

"Sure." Bickslow nodded. "Want us to help you up?"

"I got it." Laxus grinned, wrapping Freed's arm around his shoulders and helping him up again.

With the help of both his husband and the nearby tree for leverage, Freed was soon standing again and slowly walking down the pathway they had previously used. As they walked, they passed the dark-mages that were ties up and all unconscious, no doubt the work of a panicked Bickslow and Evergreen. He smiled a little, wondering if they had been so harsh with the dark-mages as some kind of vengeance for Freed.

The rune-mage wrapped an arm around Laxus' waist for further stability, smiling at him softly. He leant of and pressed a kiss into the mans shoulder, as it was the only place he could reach from his position, and rested his head on the same shoulder as Laxus chuckled.

"Thank you." Freed said softly, looking up at the blonde. "I know you'll say that you weren't exactly able to leave me bleeding, but I should still thank you."

"You're welcome, but you're right in that I don't think you need to." Laxus grinned a little. "What use is having a husband if he ain't gonna make you play around with an open flesh wound and then electrocute ya, right?"

"I suppose you're right." Freed chuckled. "And I'll be more than happy to organise you being cauterized by Natsu and Gajeel if needed."

"I don't doubt it." Laxus smirked, kissing Freed atop his head. "But really, you never have to thank me for doing shit like that. Or for looking after ya if you get sick or get pissed out of your head and do something just as embarrassing as nearly falling into a canal so I can get you back for all the teasing."

"That's not possible but go on." Freed taunted softly.

"And the reason you don't have to thank me for any of that stuff is because its just something you should expect of me, right?" Laxus smiled slightly, also wrapping his arms around Freed's waist. "You're my husband, so of course I'm gonna look after ya and patch you up in any way I can, it's just what's going to happen."

"I suppose you're right." Freed nodded. "And, needless to say, you should expect the same from me."

"Of course." Laxus grinned. "Now come on, let's get you fixed."

With another nod, Freed and Laxus started to diverge from the path Bickslow and Evergreen were walking on and towards the house of the nearest medic. As they walked, the silence between them was soft and filled with the love the two men shared for each other. The love that was perhaps not the most conventional, nor the most easy at times. But the kind of love made up of jokes few people knew, from the time spent looking after each other part way through a difficult mission or at the end of a long nights drinking, from the shared aspects of life that seemed insignificant but, to them, meant the world. A romance made of small things, all combined to make one fantastic thing.

A patchwork romance, one that both men were more than happy to be a part of.


	5. Our Lives In Print

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While moving some old boxes from the attic, Laxus discovers one filled with old Sorcerer Weekly editions, all containing articles about Freed, Laxus or the Raijinshuu. As he and Freed start to read through them, they reminisce about the years and about their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And again, welcome back! Day five, one-shot five, prompt five: Sorcerer Weekly. This one I had a lot of trouble thinking up ideas for, as I didn't just want to write them being interviewed or modelling, but I came up with this and it actually came out pretty nice. It's got some flirting, some reminiscing and some teasing. I hope you all enjoy it ^.^

****

**~~~~~**

**Our Lives in Print**

"Freed Justine," Laxus said with the smallest trace of a playful grin in his voice. "I think I found your little secret stash."

Freed looked up at the sound of Laxus' voice, watching as his fiancé walked to the counter of their kitchen and placed a large cardboard box down. He smiled a little, pushing a freshly brewed cup of coffee towards the other man and motioning for him to take a seat at the breakfast bar. Laxus grinned thankfully for the drink, taking the seat with a smile and stretching his arm as a way to relax his slightly overstretched muscles.

Two weeks prior, Laxus had moved into Freed's large house on a full-time basis. It had been a step in their relationship that both men were greatly enjoying; the sensation of waking up to each other every day in their own home was heavenly. They were still getting used to it, however, and had only just gotten around to moving the remainder of Laxus' items out from the dining room where they had been stored previously and into the attic. Freed had offered to remove the clutter from his attic on the first day of Laxus living there, but the blonde had assured him that there was no rush and that he wouldn't feel any less at home because not all of his boxes unpacked immediately.

They had both spent the morning removing anything from the attic that they deemed as unimportant, making space for Laxus' items. It was just before twelve when they had decided to take a break for lunch, but not before Laxus had discovered a box that had peaked his interest.

Standing up, Freed looked into the box to see it was filled with a pile of well-kept editions of the Sorcerer Weekly magazine. On the top of the pile, a fairly recent edition containing a picture of Evergreen and Bickslow on the cover; Bickslow was surrounded by his dolls and Evergreen hid her mouth with one of her many fans, both with their eyes glowing. That specific article was intended to be about all of the Raijinshuu, but Freed had been called away at the last minute meaning his teammates were left as his team representatives.

"All this time, you act like you're too suave and smart for this kinda shit," Laxus continued, sipping his coffee with a playful expression dancing across his eyes. "But not only do you read crappy tabloids, you hoard them as well."

Freed laughed at the gentle teasing, seeing no point in denying it. Although Freed certainly didn't enjoy them in the capacity that Laxus was suggesting, it was hard to deny the fact he had a small stash of the magazines. He reached inside and picked up a handful of those on the top, placing them in front of Laxus with a soft grin on his face.

"I only get specific issues, I'm afraid, so you can't claim I'm an avid reader," Freed explained.

Laxus glanced at the covers of the editions Freed had picked out. The first had Bickslow and Ever on the cover; the next had an image of Laxus, Mirajane, Erza and Gildarts; the next promised interview with the top five 'Wizards I'd Like to Date' winners to which Freed was the third place; and the final had an image of Freed – among some of the S-Class competitors of Fairy Tail that year – on it. It wasn't hard to realise that Freed only brought the issues that involved him, Laxus or the Raijinshuu.

"I like making sure they portray us in a positive light and there's no slander or twisting of our words," Freed continued, sitting beside his fiancé. "Just a precaution, a fair one giving the journalistic standards of some of the people working there."

"Guess so," Laxus said with a nod. "You ever had an issue with them?"

"One or two of the rumours they've printed caused offense. But I've been given assurance that the offence won't be repeated," Freed spoke with a smirk, making Laxus wonder how he had gained such an assurance. "But, as annoying as Jason can be, he has a fondness for Fairy Tail and makes sure we look good, so I hardly have anything to worry about."

Laxus nodded with a small smile. When Jason had been appointed as the only interviewer to work with Fairy Tail from Sorcerer Weekly, the reaction had been mixed. But, looking past the loudness of the man, he was pretty harmless as a journalist.

"Why d'you keep them?" Laxus questioned, placing the magazine back on the counter. "You could've trashed them once you knew they weren't talking bullshit."

"I suppose it's nostalgic really," Freed said, sipping at his coffee and looking down at the magazine box, wearing the ghost of a smile. "Not the more recent ones, though. But occasionally I'll look back at some of the older editions and feel somewhat, I don't know, comforted by them."

"How long have you been doing it?"

"I think I started with the first article about me," Freed answered after thinking for a few moments. "Hold on, I don't believe I've gotten rid of any of them so the first should be in there."

Freed stood up and reached into the box, carefully lifting out the fairly large pile of magazine and placing them on the counter. He had a small smile on his face as he carefully flicked through the bottom of the pile, looking at the images of him and his friends when they were a little younger. It wasn't just the Raijinshuu that caught his eye, but occasionally he would see images of a younger Mirajane, Loke and even Gildarts printed; although he wasn't too different other than having slightly shorter hair.

Watching his fiancé, Laxus also couldn't fight back the smallest smile. It was easy to assume Freed was the kind of man who had no need for sentiment, and that he was just as stoic and calm as he would perhaps like you to think, but Laxus had been given the chance to see a more emotional side of the man. Seeing him reminiscing so openly was something new for Laxus, but something he wanted to see more of.

Eventually, Freed found what he wanted. An edition with the Raijinshuu, as teenagers, on the front cover with the tagline 'Meet Fiore's Newest and Most Badass Team.' Freed's hair was a little shorter and his clothes different, Bickslow had yet to build up any muscle and hadn't yet discovered his signature masks, and Evergreen wore her hair in a bob but stood in a crossed arm position that hadn't changed in the years they'd been a team.

"This is the first time we were put on print," Freed continued, placing the magazine in front of them both. "So, I suppose that every edition I've been in is in here."

Laxus chuckled and picked up the magazine, looking down at the younger Raijinshuu with a small amount of amusement. The picture was taken from before the Raijinshuu and Laxus had their unofficial connection and showed them being significantly younger. Form what he knew about them from that time, they weren't nearly as aggressive or angry as the poses would suggest; they could have bene just as excitable as Natsu if they really wanted to.

He flicked through the pages and eventually settled on an interview with Freed, accompanied with another picture of him. This time, he was sitting on a red, leather chair while resting his hands on his sword, a stern expression on his face. Freed had established his brand even then, it seemed.

"Look at you," Laxus chuckled. "Little brat. A glare like that wouldn't have scared a puppy, you can't have perfected it by then."

"No, I suppose I hadn't," Freed laughed a little, though slightly cringing at the picture of his younger self. He knew it probably wasn't too bad, but he certainly wasn't as well put together in the picture as he would like. "But thankfully I've made sure I can scare even you with just one expression, a talent I'm willing to use on you today if that picture leaves this room."

"Don't worry, I'll keep it to myself," Laxus promised, smirking and wrapping an arm around Freed's shoulder. "But if you think we're getting rid of it or I'm letting you forget about it, I'm gonna have to disappoint you."

Freed smiled a little, pressing his lips into Laxus' collarbone and moving towards the pile of magazines. He could see from the corner of his eyes that Laxus was reading through the article with a small grin, though Freed wasn't sure why. He remembered his first interview and all he had spoken about was his magic, the missions he had been on and how his team was becoming just as well known as some of the adult teams that were famous at the time. Maybe Laxus was simply amused by the fact he could read about Freed when he was younger.

The rune mage mindlessly looked through the large pile of magazines, looking for nothing in particular. It was true that he had, on occasion, looked through the magazines to reminisce about things, but he hadn't done it for quite some time. The reminiscing had started around the time Laxus was first considering the coup on Fairy Tail, Freed did it as a way to keep the memory of what Laxus and his team had been like before, as if it could take them back to that time. It was nice to do it from time to time.

Freed chuckled a little when he came upon one edition near the top of the pile. It contained a picture of Laxus on the front, all but glaring at the camera while wearing a three-piece suit, holding the jacket over his shoulder. When he pulled it out and allowed Laxus to see it, the blonde groaned.

"I thought if you could tease me, I could do the same to you," Freed smiled. "Justified, don't you think?"

"Guess so," Laxus groaned. "You really kept that it?"

Freed nodded, smirking. When Laxus had re-joined Fairy Tail, Makarov had insisted that the blonde would do an entire photoshoot for Sorcerer Weekly, claiming that it would somehow raise the profile of the then-struggling guild. The old man had later confessed that forcing him into modelling, something he was very vocal about hating, was a way to lessen the tension between him and some of the members of Fairy Tail that still believed he didn't deserve his place or had only seen the worse of the blonde. To his credit, the plan had worked, and the five-page spread of pictures had been a joke at Laxus' expense that had taken away the villainous stature Laxus still had from some people and made him just another member of the guild, so it was for the best.

Although the blonde had taken the jokes towards him in good faith, he needed to after all, the Raijinshuu knew how much he had hated the modelling. It had been one of the hottest days in the summer and he was in a boiling hot studio, forced into formalwear with a pushy, perfectionist photographer ordering him around. He had explained to Freed in detail how the day seemed never ending, and how close he had been to smashing the 'smug fuckers damn camera' over his head. Needles to say, being reminded of that day wasn't something the blonde wasn't fond of.

"Blackmail mixed with my fiancé in a suit," Freed grinned. "Would you be so stupid to get rid of something like that about me if you had it?"

Laxus closed his eyes and let out a good-natured sigh, unable to deny it. Instead of speaking, he rested his head against Freed's shoulder and reached for the pile of magazines. He could see why Freed had kept them, there was something comforting and enjoyable about looking through them, it reminded him of when his grandfather got out old photo albums and they would look through them from time to time.

A thought struck him as he pulled the pile towards them. He and Freed, after getting engaged, had been contacted by Sorcerer Weekly to have an interview to make their relationship official to the public. They'd discussed it with each other and decided that they would rather talk to someone and answer questions than let them speculate and come up with anything they wanted. If Freed had kept every edition of the magazine with any of them in it, then it stood to reason that somewhere in the pile would be that specific one. He quickly found it, seeing Freed smile from the corner of his eye as he recognised it from the cover.

The main image was of both of them in their altered forms. Freed had chosen to transform into the absolute shadow form while Laxus had brought forth the scales his dragon force granted him. They were facing each other and smirking, hands intertwined at chest height in the same way they would when arm wrestling. They had been told the magazine wanted to show off their physical and magic power, hence using their transformation, but also emphasise the union between both men, which was why they embraced each other's hands with Laxus' engagement ring in the centre of the image. Below, the tagline read 'Exclusive Interview with Fiore's Newest Power-Couple.' The edition stood out from most as it lacked the usual teasers for other articles, showing that Freed and Laxus were given priority over all else. It was flattering in a way.

Flicking through the pages, Laxus found the full interview with both him and his fiancé. It was fairly long, at least for Sorcerer Weekly, and allowed the men to discuss their relationship and their plans for their wedding. It had been a nice day, especially when considering it was part of an interview.

"I think that's my favourite article about us," Freed smiled a little. "Usually they can be a little tiresome, but that one was quite enjoyable."

"Really was," Laxus nodded, eyes scanning the pages with a smile. "Y'know, I didn't know when you fell in love with me until that day. I didn't expect him to ask questions like that, but I'm glad that he did."

Freed smiled. Even still, he could perfectly remember the exact moment he had fallen in love with Laxus. He'd had feelings for him before they started to date, but his feelings had advanced after during second, somewhat impromptu date. The Raijinshuu had taken a mission in a small coastal town and completed it early. While Bickslow and Evergreen stayed at the hotel, Freed and Laxus had taken a stroll down the old docks. Freed had found a place that served hot-dogs late in the night and, as he purchased one for them both, he watched Laxus absently skipping stones across the ocean while the sun set, obviously thinking nobody was looking. Perhaps it was cliché and he couldn't quite pinpoint why that was the moment he was sure, but he somehow knew that Laxus really was the man he wished to spend the rest of his life with.

After Freed explained the moment to Jason, Laxus had been asked the same question. He claimed that his feelings turned to love on a random night. One of his favourite musicians had released a new album and he found himself listening to it in his living room in the early hours of the morning. Freed had discovered this and, instead of insisting he retire for the night, Freed had made himself a cup of coffee, sat beside Laxus, took the left headphone for himself and listened to music from an artist he'd never heard of for as long as Laxus wished. It had been a small, seemingly insignificant moment but it was then Laxus knew he wanted Freed to be his, indefinitely.

"Me too," Freed smiled, turning the page. "That interview also told me that you had been thinking about our wedding more than I had though."

"Well, ain't I allowed to be excited that we're getting married?" Laxus said with the smallest of blushes dusting his cheeks.

"I'm not going to tease you about it, I thought it was sweet," Freed assured Laxus, leaning up and pressing his lips against Laxus' now somewhat red cheeks. "I was just a little shocked at the time, we'd only been engaged for two weeks and I didn't expect for you to have so many ideas in such a small timespan."

Laxus chuckled a little, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding Freed's gaze. The rune mage frowned a little and looked towards him, wondering why he was acting slightly evasive. Laxus saw the look and sighed a little.

"Well, I never really got around to planning it properly, but I was kinda considering proposing to you," Laxus said with a small blush spreading across his cheeks. "Like, you obviously asked me before I could get anywhere with it, couldn't even start looking for rings before you asked, but yeah. When I was starting to think about asking ya, I also started to think about what I wanted my wedding to be with you. Guess I got a head start."

Freed didn't reply, instead he just smiled at Laxus and took his hand, stroking his palm with his index finger. Knowing Laxus as well as he did, he guessed the fact that the planned proposal hadn't been mentioned yet meant Laxus didn't want to talk about it. Instead, he looked down and continued reading through their interview.

"That head start was good, I'd forgotten how many ideas of yours from this interview that we used," Freed smiled, looking to Laxus with a soft expression. "Only a month away now."

"Yeah, only a month," Laxus smiled, giving Freed's hand a gentle squeeze. "Kinda hard to believe."

"I know," Freed nodded. "I honestly can't wait."

"Me neither," Laxus grinned, pressing his lips against the side of Freed's head softly. "Come on, we need to move all my shit to the attic now or we won't do it at all. Or is being all soft and crap the only thing I've got to look forward to in my future?"

"Don't act like you wouldn't enjoy being nostalgic and soft with me," Freed smirked. "We both know you're more sentimental than your grandfather if the mood takes you."

Laxus didn't deny it, instead standing up and punching Freed gently on the shoulder. Freed joined him, and they went back to the moving of boxes. Freed made sure to carefully pack the magazine back into the box, knowing that neither Laxus nor he wanted to be rid of them. And, as Freed carefully lifted the box back into the attic, they shared a split-second grin. Looking into his fiance's eyes, Freed felt the same sensation he had when he saw Laxus skipping stones, when he had fallen in love with him. A sensation he felt every time he looked at Laxus.

As he placed the magazines down, he hoped that one day in the future he would be given the chance to take an evening and look through the magazines with his husband. Perhaps more editions would be printed about them which would paint out the years of their lives that had yet to come.

"Snap out of it, Justine," Laxus grinned. "And when we're done with moving this, I wanna talk about why you're still in the 'Wizard I Wanna Date' thing even though the whole readership of Sorcerer Weekly knows you're taken."

Freed chuckled a little. "I'm very handsome, Laxus. You've said so yourself. Are you so selfish to deny mankind this for your own pleasure?"

"Your damn right I am," Laxus smirked. "Now, head in the real world, handsome."

Freed smirked, nodding. Laxus reached up and pressed his lips against Freed's, only reassuring him of how good they were for each other. That they would have a future together. That, at one point, they would find themselves looking through the years of their lives in print. That would be perfect.


	6. Stories of the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a calm evening alone in a forest leads to Freed and Laxus resting under the stars, conversation slowly turns to their opinions on the idea of gods and how they view mythical creatures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome, thanks for coming back. For day six of Fraxus week, and for the prompt Mythical creatures/Zodiac/Gods/Four horsemen of the Apocalypse. Honestly, I didn't have many ideas for this one and I''m not completely happy with how it turned out, but I managed to write something and that's all that matters. I hope you enjoy it, there's some fluff and cute stuff ahead ^.^

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**~~~~~**

**Stories of the Stars**

As a mage, serenity was a rarity. The majority of a mage's life consisted of adventure, fighting and high-pressure situations. Being a Fairy Tail mage left even less time for calm, given the rambunctious loudness of its members, the tendency to get into near apocalyptic issues on a bi-monthly basis and, of course, the obsessive requests to fight from one specifically loud-mouthed guildmember. But even in the most chaotic guild in all of Fiore, moments of complete tranquillity could be found, despite them being few and far between.

One such moment came for Freed Justine and Laxus Dreyar when they had decided to take a mission together. The job called for them to hunt down a creature that lived in a dense, large forest after it had reportedly been attacking a small village on a regular basis. As they had yet to find the monster's hideout by nightfall, the two men were forced to camp out in the very same forest it supposedly lived in.

Sitting on soft grass in a small clearing, both men noted the contrast of the quiet chirping of birds and near silence of nature when compared to the loud and obnoxious atmosphere of their guildhall. The two of them had finished a small meal prepared by Freed, nothing more than some meat and potatoes cooked over an open fire, but it was enough to tide them over for the night. They now leant against the trunk of an old and sturdy sequoia tree, Laxus with his arms wrapped around his boyfriend and his head nestled into the crook of the rune mage's neck. Freed himself was leaning quite comfortable against the blonde, smiling softly at the small moment they were sharing.

The two had been dating for just over three month and, even with how new and fresh the dynamic of their romantic interest was, they both found themselves happier and more comfortable than they had been in any previous relationships. There had been moments where they second guessed their decision, but after their initial doubts they had realised they were happier together than they were apart.

Upon hearing a small yawn from his boyfriend, Freed looked towards Laxus with a small, teasing grin. "Are you tired, by any chance?"

"What gave it away?" Laxus smiled, taking Freed's hand and intertwining their fingers. "You okay, didn't really have a break today?"

"Not too bad." Freed practically whispered. He looked up with tiredness in his eyes, gently stroking Laxus' hand with his thumb; it calmed the other man and was a gesture they had both grown to appreciate. "It's rare to see the stars completely unimpeded like this."

At the gently spoken sentence, Laxus looked up towards the clearing in the leaves overhead. The dark blue of the sky was split apart by a cascade of bright stars, many of which were involved in the intricate constellations that he was now slowly learning the names of. It was true that they weren't impeded, the night was cool and cloudless, only a soft draft of wind suggested any form of weather in the thick forest. It was truly a pleasant sight.

"Yeah, guess it is." Laxus nodded, taking Freed's hand and pressing his lips against it.

One year prior, Laxus wouldn't have even considered performing a gesture of intimacy with anyone, certainly not his friend and team-leader. He hadn't been fully aware of his feelings for Freed at that time, and he certainly wasn't aware of Freed's feelings for him, so the thought hadn't crossed his mind. But, after they had gotten together, intimacy had become natural to them both. The easy nature of their relationship came from knowing each other for as long as they had; they knew each other's boundaries and what the other would and wouldn't enjoy, so could act accordingly. It made everything that bit more relaxed and pleasant, something both men were thankful for.

"Used to love looking at the stars at night." Laxus continued, resting his head against Freed's shoulder with a soft smile. "Gramps used to tell me loads of stories about the stars. Always made 'em sound like they were magical."

"I can imagine." Freed chuckled. "He's quite the story teller."

Laxus chuckled a little, pulling Freed closer and wrapping his arms around the mans waist. A small heating rune was around them and both men had removed their coats, meaning Freed looked that little less formal than normal. Laxus enjoyed the sight of his boyfriend being dressed down, something he had seen more of since the start of their relationship. Seeing him more relaxed made the blonde feel that little bit more intimate with him.

"He used to tell me that each constellation was a God, and that they were all looking over us and protecting us." The blonde spoke gently, Freed turning to him. "Even told me there was a God of dragons, that it overlooked all dragon slayers and made sure they were protected. Hold on."

Shuffling back slightly so he was looking almost directly upwards, the blonde scanned the sky. Although it wasn't something he documented loudly, the time spent looking at the stars with his grandfather when he was younger left him with an interest in astrology. He didn't believe that the month a person was born in had any effect on their personality, but the mythology of the stars always had some kind of majesty and mythical air to them. In the silence of the forest, he felt this as good a time as any to let Freed know about his casual interest in the stars.

After some moments of scanning the stars, which he had become fairly well versed in identifying, he found what he was looking for. He shuffled Freed's position slightly, so he was looking towards the same area of the sky. He made a small arch with his finger and but Freed's hand in the same position.

"See that bright star, put the tip of your finger just above it." Laxus instructed gently, Freed complying. "A small trail of stars should be right under the arch of your finger, right?" At the question, Freed nodded. "Okay, think of that as the top of a wing. Focus on that and imagine a simple looking dragon, looking to the left. You should start to see it."

With his hand in the air and vision focusing on the stars resting below his finger, Freed narrowed his eyes slightly. Following the advice of his boyfriend, he started to imagine a left facing dragon with its wing below his finger. It took him some time, and a slight tilt in the head, but he eventually saw the stars creating the shape of a dragon.

Laxus, who had been looking at Freed's face as he searched for the constellation, grinned a little. One of many things that had changed since their relationship had begun was that Freed's barriers weakening around him, which allowed him to see the soft smile on Freed's face when the dragon presented itself to him. He had grown to love Freed's smile, it was a subtle expression that only graced his features on the rarest occasions. The fact Laxus could see it more often now they were together gave him a sense of warmth that couldn't be explained.

"Gramps said it was called Hlal." Laxus continued. "She was the Goddess of storytelling, Gramps said that always explained why I loved stories when I was a kid. Said we were kindred spirits, and that she would gave been looking over me and keeping me safe."

"Was this at a time where you were… in possession of your lacrima?" Freed asked, somewhat tentatively.

"It started a couple weeks into Ivan's experiments." Laxus said, tone slightly dulled. "Kinda think Gramps found out about what he was doing and knew it was too late to stop it. Must have thought that, if I thought I had a dragon looking over me all the time, I wouldn't feel so scared about what was happening."

"Did it work?" Freed asked, slightly cautiously.

"Guess it did, looking back." Laxus nodded, gently stroking Freed's hand. "It was still shit when it happened, obviously. But maybe the idea of having some kind of physical connection with a Goddess, someone who could keep me safe through whatever Ivan did to me, made it just a little more tolerable. Like me getting the lacrima wasn't just what he wanted, that part of it worked out for me as well."

Freed didn't reply, knowing that the subject of how he gained his power was something he didn't speak about much. The tranquillity of the moment was something so rare, he wasn't going to ruin that by pushing Laxus further than needed.

He turned slightly, looking from the constellation towards his boyfriend. He pushed himself up slightly and looked at him with soft eyes, pressing a soft kiss on the other mans lips. It was more of a comforting gesture than anything, something that Laxus seemed to be appreciative of when he pulled back to see him smiling softly. Freed returned the smile, pressing their foreheads together and closing his eyes.

"I'm glad you had that, at least." Freed whispered.

"Me too." Laxus nodded, running a hand through Freed's hair. He mindlessly wondered how Freed managed to keep it soft despite a day of exercise and being in a forest.

After a few moments of silence, the two shifted. Although they had set up a tent in the middle of the runes, neither men wanted to retire to it, so they both laid down on the soft grass, looking at the sky with a mixture of wonder and tiredness. Laxus had his hands behind his head, Freed lying against his bicep with half lidded eyes. After some time, Laxus shifted again to the arm Freed lay on was wrapped around his shoulder.

Laxus looked down at Freed after some time staring at the sky. His eyes were soft, and he felt the same warmth in his stomach that he felt when he saw Freed smile. Perhaps showing that small amount of vulnerability had been good for him, maybe he felt a little closer to his boyfriend.

"Did you have anything like that?" Laxus asked softly, still running his hands through Freed's hair. "Like, before you came to Fairy Tail, did you have anything to sort of lean back on."

"I suppose I did." Freed said after some time thinking. "When I was young, I was raised in a religious environment. Though, rather than worshiping a deity and following rules to appease them, it focused on the importance of the self. Mainly that you should never believe that fate has forgotten you or that you have no pathway in your life, among other things. Although I didn't particularly follow the teachings entirely, the idea that fate has a future for you did drive me in the moments of doubt."

Laxus smiled a little, pressing his lips against Freed's head softly and smiling. "Never really thought of you as the type to believe in fate."

"I suppose I more believe in karma than I do fate." Freed smiled softly, looking back up to the stars. "I don't believe that every decision we make is done according to some kind of plan, or that we don't have any control over what we do. It's more that I believe everyone will eventually get to where they need to be in life, and everyone gets what they deserve in time."

With a small, soft laugh, Laxus spoke again. "Well ain't you full of surprises?"

Again they fell into silence. Both men looked into the sky, Freed absently focusing on the constellation of the dragon in the sky. He had a gentle expression and curled slightly so he was facing Laxus, who did the same. Now wrapped in Laxus' arm, a sensation that Freed was fast realising was a pass time he enjoyed, he allowed the rare sense of tranquillity to envelop him completely and lull him to a deep, comforted sleep.

With the gentlest of smiles, Laxus moved his sleeping boyfriend's hair out of his face and pressed his lips against the other mans forehead. Although the moment had seemingly been unimportant and filled with the tired conversation of two men who had been working for a long day without rest, Laxus felt the same warmth he got when he saw Freed smile fill him. It felt as though they were starting to not only act as a couple but understand each other in a more intimate way. The showing of their vulnerability meant that they were just a little closer than before, and that feeling made Laxus feel a sense of joy he couldn't put into words.

The night would, as many did, fall into obscurity in the future. But Laxus would always look back on it with fondness, as it was the night he finally realised he and Freed were changing their relationship for the better. And all it had taken was the stories of the stars.


	7. Solace In Your Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war is over and Laxus is back in Magnolia. But his husband hasn't yet returned and Laxus finds himself feeling more and more nervous. And then, as the afternoon begins, a train arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back for the final time this year. With the last day of the week, the prompt is: Post War. As you can probably expect, this one has a little bit of angst in it but I can assure you that it's got a happy ending, as I'm scared of writing angst that doesn't. I hope you all enjoy it and it leaves you with some fuzzy fluffy feelings. Happy reading.

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**~~~~~**

**Solace in Your Arms**

The contrast of what Magnolia had once been compared to what it was at that moment was staggering. Where once proud buildings had been standing, piles of rubble now took their place. Streets that once held busy marketplaces now were silent and empty. A town that had been known for its lively atmosphere and welcoming ways now stood nearly silent, entirely changed from what it once was. When Laxus looked around, he found it hard to believe that it was the same town he lived in; that it was his home.

Nobody had expected the war. A country an ocean away from Fiore had been overrun by militant-like dark guilds without anybody realising. As the country was small and relatively docile, the new leader's lust for power wasn't fulfilled. They had turned to Fiore to fix this, sending armies to the other country's coast in the hopes that they could take it over.

Initially, the Rune-Knights had been taken unaware. The dark guild had more troops and more power than anyone could have predicted, and their attacks on Fiore had been devastating for those effected. When the severity of the war was realised, the magic council realised that the fight could not be won without the help of every guild's combined strength. All capable mages and fighters joined the fight in some capacity. The weaker and less experienced were positioned as guards in small towns, acting as a secondary line of defence. Anyone with healing magic were placed in hospitals near the battlegrounds, speeding up the recovery of troops so they could fight again. And the strongest mages, such as Laxus Dreyar, were forced to fight on the front lines.

The war changed Fiore. It was undeniable. Coastal towns had been affected the most, with mass evacuations occurring, houses being turned into makeshift hospitals and structures falling every day. But nowhere had been safe from the war, and Magnolia was a testament to this.

But the war was won. Fiore was filled with mages and willing fighters that had, after months of vicious fighting and battles, overwhelmed the dark guild. They had been pushed back into their own country, and the new leaders were now being dealt with there as well. It had been a hard fight, and no part of Fiore would be the same from that point onwards, but the war was over with Fiore as the victors.

It was over.

After the declaration of victory, mages were permitted to return home from their posts. Nobody had any control over where they had been stationed. Laxus had been taken to a small but significant port town that had been under almost constant attack. He'd both defended ships taking in rations for the country and fought against invaders who saw it as an easy way onto the mainlands. He had fought along side mages from almost all guilds, as well as the army, but with no members of Fairy Tail. Without his husband.

News of his husband had been limited to say the least; any questions he had were met with demands to keep his mind on the battle. He only knew that Freed was stationed in another coastal town on the other side of the damn country because Gray, who was placed in a traveling group that had been in the same town as Freed, had been able to tell him in the week that he was assisting against an all-out barrage on the town Laxus was protecting. Even though it had been the smallest amount of information, Laxus had nearly broken down at the knowledge his husband had been safe and healthy.

But that was over now. He was back in Magnolia again and didn't have to worry about people getting hurt in battle. Or, perhaps worse could have happened…

He shook his head slightly, he didn't need to think like that. Earlier in the day, almost immediately after getting off the train, his grandfather had pounced on him and enveloped him in a hug. It was perhaps unexpected, as was the crying that accompanied it, but damn was it welcomed. Makarov had informed him that he would be staying at the train station all day and that every Fairy Tail member, including Laxus, would be instructed to go to the cathedral as the guild-hall had been destroyed in an aerial attack.

The blonde had offered to stay by his grandfather's side, but Makarov had denied this. He claimed that it wasn't needed, but Laxus guessed he was hardly keeping it together and having the blonde by his side wouldn't exactly help matters.

He had bene one of the first to get to the cathedral as the town he'd been positioned in wasn't too far away from Magnolia. He'd spoken to the few mages that were already there, nothing more than pleasantries to distract him. Slowly, more and more people began to gather around the cathedral. The reunions Laxus saw were filled with emotions, a mixture of relief for the safety of loved ones and ecstasy that their troubles seemed to be over. It seemed that the cathedral was the meeting point for everyone, as not only mages were involved in the emotional meetings.

Time went by and the emotions turned more festive. The crowd thickened, and some people began to play music. Members of the cathedral began to serve food as well, an intoxicating stew that invaded Laxus' nostrils every time he was nearby. It never tempted him, he was distracted by the ball of nausea and worry in his stomach.

He'd been around the cathedral for more than an hour at that point. Freed had yet to be seen.

It was hard not to panic. He'd tried not to worry, telling himself anything to calm his nerves. Maybe Freed was already there, he just hadn't been able to see him through the thick crowd of people. He convinced himself that nothing bad had happened to Freed, if his husband had been hurt then he would have been the first to know! There were procedures to inform the families of troops if something happened to them; Laxus was Freed's family. Even with this in mind, he was scared.

Again, he shook his head. The more he worried about this, the worse his fears would get. Instead, he would distract himself by walking around. He had almost been sure he'd caught a glance of Evergreen earlier in the hour, and he wanted to be sure she was okay. That would be one less worry at least.

If any of his team, or his guild, didn't return he didn't know how he'd react…

Silently scolding himself for thinking in that way, he slowly walked from where he was and around the crowd. He walked past groups of people, some happy while others wracked with nerves for the same reasons he was. When he caught sight of a young mage holding a small piece of paper crying and being comforted by a group of people, he made sure not to look any longer. The person probably didn't want someone leaning over them at such a troubling time.

It took some time, but he eventually found Evergreen around the side of the cathedral. When he saw her, she was wrapped tightly in Elfman's arms with the other two Strauss siblings nearby. The fact she was seemingly safe and healthy, along with the Strauss', gave him a sense of comfort. Soon, he and Freed would be like Ever and Elf, he just needed to be patient.

Although he knew the distraction would do him good, he decided not to approach his teammate. If Laxus was correct, the two would have had no interactions with each other for months. This was their moment, they didn't need Laxus getting in the way of it.

"Sickening, ain't it?"

Laxus' head shot around at the recognisable voice. He was met with the grinning face only Bickslow could pull off. He had a small amount of dried blood on his face, a deep purple bruise on his neck and was resting on crutches with one leg raised in a cast. Despite his clearly injured state, he seemed in high and jovial spirits, as expected of the man. Laxus felt a lump rise in his throat.

"We were on the train together." Bickslow continued with a grin. "Three hours with her. She hardly stopped talking about him, nearly jumped off the tracks with how much-"

The soul mage was cut off when he was taken into a hug that nearly knocked him off his good leg, making him use the crutches for balance. When stable, he moved his arm around Laxus and patted him on the back. The hug was strong, bone crushingly so, and had a lot of emotion behind it. That, combined with the fact Freed was nowhere to be found, told Bickslow everything he needed to know about what Laxus was going through.

"He not back yet, huh?" He asked, voice a little more comforting.

Laxus shook his head softly, not trusting his voice enough not to crack. He doubted Bickslow would have judged him on it if he did, but he still didn't want to let it happen.

"I know it ain't helpful to say, but I'm sure he's fine." Bickslow smiled softly, pulling away and patting Laxus on the shoulder. "He's a smart and strong guy, right? He would have made sure to keep himself safe."

"Yeah, I know." Laxus sighed. "It's just… the longer it takes, the worse it feels."

"I get that." Bickslow said, shuffling so he was properly leaning on his crutches. "Don't suppose you know where he was?"

"In the west somewhere. Least, that's what Gray told me when I saw him."

"Then you shouldn't worry. We were dismissed in the morning, right? Getting here from the west coast takes like five hours, right. It's twelve right now and all the trains are full." Bickslow smiled. "He's probably on the way here now. Don't worry."

With a sigh, Laxus knew he was right. The west coast was a long while away, even by train, and the trains would have been completely full of mages. Freed wouldn't be able to teleport back, the distance would have drained his magic while at full capacity, never mind how little he would have at the end of the damn war. He just needed to be patient and wait for Freed to come back on whatever train he had gotten into. His husband was too skilled to die in the war, he was just running later than Laxus had expected.

Clenching his eyes as if scolding himself, he nodded again. Casting another look at Bickslow he was glad to see he had no bandage wrapped around him other than on his leg. The blonde suspected that he wouldn't have helped any injuries on his torso with the hug he had forced on the man.

"What the hell happened to you?" He asked, forcing a small smile. "Most people healed up a little by now. You didn't jump off the train to get away from Ever, did ya?"

"Nah. I was in one of the last fights, happened two days ago actually. Some crafty shits jumped me and got me like this." He chuckled. "Beat them to hell, of course, but when it's five on one you ain't gonna get out without a few cuts and bruises."

"Guess so. Glad you're okay." Laxus smiled weakly. "You didn't have a healer with you to fix the leg?"

"We did, just didn't need it. Last fight was vicious, so were the injuries." Bickslow sighed a little. "We only had two qualified healers, the others were just trained on the job. Place was overrun. I'm more used to injuries because of the S-Class missions I go on, so I thought I could probably deal with it without putting more strain on them. Plus, guaranteed seat on the train."

Laxus chuckled a little, glad that Bickslow was able to be in high spirits. It was rubbing off on him slightly, and he did feel a sense of relief in that both Evergreen and Bickslow were safe and home. If nothing else, he had the two of them and his grandfather with him.

The two men walked towards a small bench and sat down so that Bickslow could take the pressure off his leg. They spoke for a little while, during which they had both explained how their time in service had been and watched as Evergreen and Elfman enjoyed each other's company a short while away. Laxus could hardly blame them, he knew that he would act in the same way the moment he saw Freed. Besides, knowing that Evergreen was back and exactly the same as she had been before was all that Laxus needed.

Part way though a conversation in which Bickslow was telling a story about a Lamia Scale mage he'd bonded with, Laxus' ears perked up slightly. The sound of a high-pitched train whistle could be heard over the sound of talking and, when he looked towards the station, he could see a long trail of steam in the air.

"You okay?" Bickslow asked when he noticed Laxus not paying attention.

"Sorry, heard the train and thought…" He stopped himself. "Sorry."

"Don't be. You're worried, it's fine." Bickslow grinned in a way he hoped Laxus was comforted by. He quickly glanced up to a large clock, seeing it was twenty minutes past twelve. "Doesn't the west-to-east train come in about now?"

Laxus looked up towards the clock at the statement. The Raijinshuu often needed to get on that train and it always managed to arrive at twenty past the hour, every two hours. Laxus also knew that the west-to-east train was what Freed would need to get to arrive in Magnolia from any part of west Fiore. Meaning that, if Freed had gotten on one of the earlier trains as Laxus hoped he would, then there was a chance he would have been on that very train. He looked towards Bickslow immediately.

"You don't mind-"

"Go." Bickslow immediately ordered. "I'll tell Ever you were here if she can peel herself off the hunk."

"Thanks." Laxus smiled, patting a hand on Bickslow's shoulder. He stood up and went to go, but Bickslow grabbed him and looked at him with the smallest amount of worry in his eyes. Laxus frowned.

"Just make sure you don't panic if he's not there, baby." Bickslow said slowly. "If he's not, it doesn't mean he ain't coming at all. They'll be coming all day, okay?"

With a curt nod, Laxus sent a small smile towards his friend. He started to walk towards the train station but didn't feel satisfied by the speed. Even running wouldn't be fast enough, so he enveloped himself in lightning and allowed his body to become the element he could control; he was exhausted, and his magic was depleted, but he knew he had enough to get to the train station. He wanted to make sure that he was on the platform the moment Freed got from the train, he wouldn't let a little tiredness stop that from happening.

He diminished his lightning the moment he was near the train station. Before stepping in, he had to pause and collect his thoughts. Bickslow was right, he couldn't assume Freed was on one of the earliest trains of the day. If his husband didn't leave the train, it just meant he was going to be on the next one.

Focusing on that, he walked though the small train station and towards the platform. The train was slowly pulling in and, from where Laxus was standing, he could see it was entirely full. He could also see Makarov get up from the bench he was sitting on, perhaps meaning that there were at least some Fairy Tail mages waiting on the fully packed vehicle. He felt the ball of nausea form in his stomach again.

The time it took for the train to stop and the doors to open was excruciating. Laxus had to dig his fingernails into his hands as the doors were slung open and the crowds were slowly flowing out of them.

Everything was a haze of faces and clothing as people left the train. Although his sight seemed to blur slightly as the nausea took over, Laxus could see that some of the mages from the train were told to go to the cathedral by Makarov in the same way that he had earlier in the day. None of them were Freed, so he didn't particularly care.

"Come on Freed." He whispered to himself, foot nervously tapping against the floor. "Just fucking be here."

He began to grind his teeth in worry. He knew he had told himself that it didn't matter if Freed didn't come from this particular train, but a sick sensation had filled his stomach and showed no sign of leaving. Even with all his reasoning, he couldn't drop the thought that the worst had happened, and he wasn't going to see his husband again. The very idea of that was devastating, and every second he would have to wait made it infinitely worse.

Breathing now slightly haggard, Laxus looked with desperation towards the doors which were still crowded. He felt himself lose faith and his sanity slip away slightly, a mixture of sadness and rage filling his soul as the nausea took over.

That's when he saw it.

A flash of dirty green hair leaving the train and entering the crowd. As it thinned, Laxus kept his eyes on the figure and saw as a red coat was revealed. As the crowd dispersed further and the figure walked through it, Laxus was presented with the most angelic, perfect sight he could ever hope to see. His husband, alive and well.

Laxus acted on instinct. He walked towards Freed as quickly as the area allowed him, occasionally having to push people out of the way. As he got closer, he saw that Freed had yet to realise he was there, but the blonde didn't care. Every step he took got him closer to Freed, closer to the confirmation that his husband was alive and right before him.

They were soon inches from each other, where Freed finally recognised him. There was a moment of silence between them as they looked each other up and down, both experiencing a chaotic flurry of emotions that no words could convey.

After what felt like an eternity of looking at each other, Laxus wrapped his arms around Freed with more strength that he knew he had. He burrowed his face in the crook of the mans shoulders, taking in every aspect of the man he loved. His touch, his smell, his beauty, his majesty. Everything. Freed was there, in his arms for the first time in months, and god damn did it feel better than anything he could ever feel.

Freed carefully wrapped one of his arms around Laxus while pressing a soft kiss against his cheek. He too then placed his head in the other mans shoulders. That was how they stood for some moments, all wordless emotions being spoken through the tight embrace.

"Thank fuck." Laxus whispered, removing his head and revealing his misty eyes. "I missed you so fucking much."

"I missed you too." Freed spoke in a gentle, almost fragile tone. "You're okay, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Fine." Laxus said, resting their forehead together. He wanted as much physical contact as he could get. "Are you?"

"As good as to be expected." Freed smiled slightly, leaning up and gently pressing their lips together. "I really did miss you. It was hell going through that without you."

At that, Laxus felt his eyes sting with tears. He shared the sentiment, waking up without his husband at such a time was comparable to hell. Not only did he not have the support of the man he loved more than anyone else, but every morning he was left with the burning doubt that something could have happened to Freed throughout the day and he would have been unable to help him. Every moment he had thought about Freed in those months of fighting, it felt as though acid had replaced his skin and was burning away at his flesh. The idea of Freed feeling the same way was only slightly less sickening than the worry he'd had for his safety.

With emotions that words still could yet describe, Laxus leant forward and took the mans lips with his own in a soft, chaste kiss that showed how much had had missed the other. Freed returned it with just as much desperation, holding Laxus close; both men had no intention of breaking apart now that they were together.

When they had pulled back for air, their foreheads were resting together, and eyes engrossed in each other. After being apart for so long, neither could quite believe that they were standing together again. For the first time since the war had begun, they felt safe and secure again. It was magical.

"How long were you waiting?" Freed asked softly.

"Couple of hours." Laxus admitted, kissing Freed softly again. "Spent most of it at the cathedral, think Gramps wants to make a celebration or something?"

"Were Bicks and Ever there?"

"Yeah. They're fine. Totally fine."

"Good." Freed whispered with a nod.

The loud sound of a whistle told the couple that the train had gone. The platform began to thin out, taking many mages towards the cathedral. From where Laxus stood, he could see that his grandfather was talking to Lucy and Laki, who had left the train together. He looked towards his grandson and sent him a soft smile, which the blonde reciprocated.

Slowly, they pulled apart. He would have much rather kept his husband close but knew that wasn't possible. All that mattered was that Freed was here and he was alive. After all they had been through, that was all the blonde could ask for. When they pulled away, Laxus looked at Freed properly. His clothes were dirty, hair unkept and arm resting in a sling. Laxus frowned, looking at Freed with worry.

"There's a numbing rune on it." Freed assured him, smiling softly. "It's practically settled already. Don't worry."

"You sure?" Laxus asked, Freed nodding "You weren't able to make numbing runes before, could you?"

"I've got a couple new tricks. Started to learn the healing aspects of rune magic, just in case." Freed explained quietly, placing his hand on Laxus' cheek. "Should we go? It's been quite some time since we all shared a drink, it would be nice to do it again."

"Yeah." Laxus smiled, a small laugh leaving his lips. "That'd be great."

The two slowly walked out of the train station, Laxus standing to the side of Freed so their hands could be intertwined. The lump in his throat had gone and he was feeling a sense of ecstasy that he couldn't explain. He had never felt so safe as he did with Freed beside him and knowing that he was still alive and standing mere inches from him as they went towards their team to drink, as they had done multiple times before the war had begun, felt like heaven.

Laxus couldn't bite back his smile. The war was one. He was back in magnolia. Freed was beside him and they were going to drink the night away with the rest of Fairy Tail. For the first time since the war's beginning, he was happy.


End file.
